DA5 ARCHANGEL Rising
by Ameslan
Summary: This story is separate from the others in the trilogy but still reflects on those events. Focuses more on the Nortanians. The hero gets the command of his dreams but it comes at a price.


Jarrad gets vacation to remember when he accompanies his friend's completed Flagship to it's new home.

_ARCHANGEL_ RISING

These are the journals of the space station

_OUTPOST NORTANIA_. It's mission:

to protect the planet side _NORTANIA PROJECT_ administrative center,

to support all vessels within the Nortanian sphere of influence

and to act as remote command facility for Alliance operations.

* * *

_Station Log, __Spacedock Charles Darwin Stardate: 52213.4 With Commander Dietz off-station to headline the 200th Jesse Steele convention on Risa, I have decided to take a little vacation. Even though he has plenty of work with being my Administrative Aide, I think he has earned the right to be there since he is the last member of the family who holds the rights to the franchise. It is also the first chance Scout and I have had to get away since our wedding and I'm getting a bit of cabin fever. Although I'd love to go with Dave to see the first showing of the final Jesse Steele holovid, I have other plans. The Alliance Engineering Corps has informed me that the __DAV __ARCHANGEL NCC-2103 was completed yesterday and I want to present it personally to Brian. I was planning on giving him his promotion to Fleet Admiral when he's scheduled to come here in a few weeks, but I can use Admiral's prerogative and give it to him personally at Nortania. I also have a proposal for him to consider resulting from his heroics aboard the __SHROUD last year.After all it's not every day that someone takes command of an experimental escort ship and has a crew of yard workers capture the men who had just assassinated the Primus._

"As soon as I find my phaser, I'm gonna make somebody regret the day they were born!" Growled a half-asleep Dartanion Jarrad over the continually cycling doorbell chime. As he disentangled himself from the bedsheets, he glanced over at the chronometer. He'd only been asleep for 2 hours! In disgust, he tried kicking the end of a sheet that was wrapped around his ankle, which only resulted in him tripping himself. He somersaulted with the stumble and when he came upright, put his hand against the wall to steady himself. There was a chirp as a finger tapped the door control and the door slid open obediently. A familiar figure stood just outside the door leaning against the wall, making purposed contact of his shoulder with the chime button. Admiral McCollin pointed to his own sidearm and quipped,

"Pfft, fine! You want mine instead?" He paused, took a long look at Jarrad's garb, and chuckled, "Nice toga!" Completely taken by surprise, Jarrad smiled,

"_Gomshu_! What are you doing here?" He used the Drakmärian word for _family by honor_. McCollin, still chuckling at his friend's appearance, replied,

"Since I'm now head of the AEC, I was informed this morning that hull number 2103 was now completed. I figured that I'd tag along for the ride and we can go over old times in the progress. Besides, I need to touch base with O'Camp about some things." The last item piqued Jarrad's attention but he was too tired to ask and let it go. Still half-asleep, Jarrad apologized,

"Look, I'd love to reminisce with you in public while nearly naked—it brings back some weird memories—but I just got off duty 2 hours ago and would really like some rest. Could you please come wake me up in about 3 hours or so?" The Engineer grinned wickedly and said,

"Not a problem. I figured you were probably just getting to bed so that's why I insisted on seeing you now. Your Yeoman is currently sweating her rank."

"Well Scout just went on duty 4 hours ago and should be up in Ops or in the Astrophysics Lab recalibrating some newfangled sensor system. You can tell her about the change in plans. Now I have to get back to this dream I was having." Jarrad turned and began to walk away, not noticing the Engineer put the toe of his boot on the end of the sheet Jarrad was wearing. Jarrad took a couple steps and McCollin announced,

"OK I'll see you in a couple hours…_Caesar_!" It worked perfectly, Jarrad had just about reached the end of the slack of the sheet when he turned around and began to gesture with a hand to punctuate what he was about to say next. The turning motion pulled the sheet taut and this pulled it out of Jarrad's awkward grasp. The sheet fell to the floor and McCollin mischievously waved at Jarrad as he stepped away from the door.

* * *

After getting a good night's sleep, Jarrad waited to leave his quarters until after Scout awoke. He put the time to good use by finalizing preparations for the trip. One detail he came up with was to have a series of tractor beams installed on the _LARRGN-Z_ so the ship could be towed for the trip between the nacelles and behind the saucer section of the Drakmär-class starship. When McCollin asked him to take a stroll through the parkland, Jarrad declined stating he wanted to be there when his wife awoke so he discuss the change in itinerary with her. This got a knowing chuckle out of the Engineer. Sure enough, a few hours later, Scout was quite willing to '_discuss the itinerary_' in every _intimate_ detail. 

McCollin spent much of the time waiting for the Jarrads by running a complete systems check on the _ARCHANGEL_. It would be more than a little embarrassing for the new ship to be in his care for all this time and have something go wrong when O'Camp stepped up to the center seat. McCollin also visited some of his old acquaintances that happened to be aboard the Spacedock at the time. He was about to go pull a surprise inspection of Ops when he was informed that all interested parties were now aboard the _LARRGN-Z_. He confirmed and requested that Captain Gartiér clear the moorings of the _ARCHANGEL_ and maneuver it into position for the tow. By the time he'd gotten to the berth, the operation had been completed. Minutes later, they had been cleared for launch and the Exploratory Battlecruiser was smoothly backing its way out of the docking area. Once they had cleared the bay, the Captain turned around to face her former Commander who was standing in the back of the bridge with Jarrad and asked,

"Admiral, would you care to give the order?"

"I'd be delighted…" They both replied in unison and the whole bridge crew responded with polite laughter. McCollin was the first to respond by looking at Jarrad and extending his hand, palm up, as an invitation to proceed while saying,

"By your leave, _Admiral_." Jarrad sighed and said,

"Helm, lay in a course 213 at 25, making appropriate course corrections within defined Shadowland plotting. Warp factor…7. Let's do it." He concluded with his trademark authorization. Jarrad turned to McCollin as the mighty legend leapt forward into space and streaking stars began to fill the main viewer and murmured,

"I almost forgot what this classes' cruising speed is. But that's ok, you probably forgot the course we were supposed to take, right? Nice save by the way!" McCollin made a disbelieving expression and innocently asked,

"Pfft! What kind of officer do you take me for? You think that I'd forget something like that? Oh, come……" Jarrad grinned at his friend's protestations and it suddenly dawned on him,

"You were so busy with everything else you forgot to look it up, didn't you?" McCollin winced and nodded. Jarrad continued by saying, "It's okay, since I forgot that this model doesn't have '_Warp Flex_' capability. I guess that makes us even."

* * *

Several hours later found Jarrad idly walking the decks of the _LARRGN-Z_, taking corridors at random. It had been quite some time since he'd been in space and he was having a hard time getting his space legs re-acclimated. He'd gone to the mess hall for a late night snack and had found the Ship's Counselor there feeding a craving for salt twirls. After discussing his dilemma, it was decided that his restlessness was most likely a subconscious regret for having destroyed the original _TANELORN_, which was of the same class as this starship. Either that or he'd had one too many Spice Beans with dinner. He'd continued his meandering along the semi-familiar halls. It was true that the layout was the same but when McCollin had been in command he'd decided upon a different internal coloring scheme. Jarrad came to an abrupt halt in a section that brought some fond memories. He was just one section over from where his wife was sleeping and one deck below where the Senior Staff Quarters were. This was the area where there was overlap of the Junior Officer's Quarters and the associate VIP or _Entourage_ quarters. During his second week of command of the then **_USS_** _TANELORN_ which had just been given a model upgrade by the Starfleet, the Environmental controls had gone haywire in the Senior Staff Quarters. Until they had found that the culprit was a failed sensor, all of those who had quarters on that deck had been temporarily assigned to an associate VIP quarters. This also meant that everyone had to double up since all the units in that section were shared units. This had worked out fine until the rest of the crew found out that the Captain and his Chief Engineer got along a little _too _well in their off-duty hours, much to the chagrin of the others who shared the section all of whom became the recipients of their shenanigans. Jarrad nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice startled him from behind, 

"Reminiscing or lost?" Jarrad spun around and was partway into a Dri-di-ki battle stance when he noticed who the speaker was and relaxed. McCollin, who was chewing on an herb stick, chuckled dryly,

"I'd think you'd have better things to do than dance with me. Especially what with the wife aboard."

"Hard time sleeping. Didn't think I'd been away from space _that_ long though…" Jarrad admitted. McCollin nodded and informed him,

"It's not that. You're being affected by some modifications her current Engineer has implemented to increase efficiency during Warp travel." Jarrad rolled his eyes and, after a brief pause asked,

"Were you looking for me or did you just find me by accident?"

"Combination of both actually. I always walk the decks of any ship I'm aboard so I can familiarize myself with the people aboard. I was making my way indirectly to your quarters to see if you had any plans for the evening. But since you're feeling out of whack, follow me. There's one place aboard that is immune to the effects of the upgrades." Jarrad followed as they made a beeline for the nearest turbolift. As they entered the main hallway leading to the impulse engine section, McCollin nearly bumped into a Technician about to enter the break area. The young man paused flustered to see such a high ranking officer in this section at this hour. To his credit, he recovered quickly and snapped to attention. McCollin stopped short and apologized,

"Sorry about that, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. At ease, please. How are you this evening, Specialist…?" McCollin held up an index finger and waggled it gently at the Technician while making a thoughtful expression on his face as though he knew the man but was having difficulty remembering the name. The dark-skinned Technician volunteered,

"Specialist 2d class Nick Saunders, Driver-Coil maintenance." McCollin nodded warmly in confirmation and asked,

"That's right. On your best estimate, what is the current status of our EM/Thermal Wear rating?" The Technician's face lit up as he replied a statistic he knew all too well,

"When we left the Drakmärian system it was just passing 4,875 flight hours sir." McCollin began to turn away when he stopped and asked,

"What came of your situation that you needed special attention on recently?" The Technician's eyes flew open wide and he blurted in surprise,

"Wow! You remember that sir!"

"Of course I do young man. I keep track of all the Engineering people and how and what they are doing good and bad… Any way; to my recollection, it was having to do with a family member and…" He scratched his head and made an expression as if trying to recall the exact details. Saunders quickly volunteered the missing pieces,

"Yes sir it was my uncle. He is a scientist for the _ShadowKicker_ project and was injured when the _SHROUD_ was placed on Special Assignment following the Primus' father's assassination. Since I am the only living relative, I wanted to see to his welfare." Nodding in comprehension and recall, McCollin asked with a genuine look of concern on his face,

"How is he doing now?"

"He's recovering nicely. He has to wear a brace on his leg for a few more months and still has routine physical therapy for his arm, but he can always tell when they are testing plasma field levels in the next lab." Saunders laughed and McCollin joined in as Jarrad got a confused look on his face but chuckled politely in kind. McCollin then took his leave of the Non-Commissioned Officer and the two Admirals resumed their trek. After they'd rounded the first corner, Jarrad asked,

"I was beginning to wonder if you really remembered him until you got some of the details right." McCollin grinned,

"Did I! I just know that all Engineers are supposed to maintain an open line of communication with the AEC. No matter the subject. That's how most of the brainstorming gets done within the fleet. The rest was just a clever bit of dancing my part since I know all Engineers have unique family dynamics." Jarrad chuckled and marveled as he shook his head in amazement. _All those late nights of playing Cromurian 4-card fast draw had actually taught McCollin a thing or two…_ Jarrad mused that he would _have to learn to play his cards closer and be more wary about the level of bluffing all around_. He found himself feeling more and more comfortable the farther they proceeded into the bowels of the impulse drive. They were in the midst of crossing a catwalk when McCollin came to a halt. From what he could remember, Jarrad could tell that the catwalk was just aft of the Primary Impulse Reactor and just fore of the engines themselves. The catwalk went over the main drive feed and not 3 feet above his head was the decontamination airlock for the VIP shuttle access on the deck above. In fact, he could tell this by the label on the handle to the unit's filter.

"How are you feeling now?" McCollin inquired. Jarrad nodded that he was, in fact, feeling much better. He turned to his friend and quipped,

"Although the scenery isn't much." The Engineer responded breezily,

"There is an inspection port between the main exhaust vents but all it will give you is a view of the _ARCHANGEL_'s bow." To this the Grand Admiral mused aloud,

"I wonder how _her_ crew is holding up during the trip?"

"They are probably doing okay since the field modifications wouldn't directly affect……" McCollin's voice trailed off as he got a sly look on his face and noted from Jarrad's expression that he was probably thinking the same thing. This was confirmed when they both said simultaneously,

"But we can always go and find out!" They both laughed conspiratorially and McCollin said while extending a leading hand,

"After you my dear Grand Poobah!" Jarrad looked at him quizzically and McCollin winked,

"I have to stop by my quarters first to pick up some thing that we will need while we are over there." The two made a beeline for the area in question and McCollin requested that Jarrad remain outside while he grabbed the item. McCollin reappeared moments later with the strap to a pouch slung over his shoulder. The pouch was a cylinder about 10 cm in diameter by 50 com long. Jarrad had some idea of what might be in it knowing his friend's personality, but held off on commenting on the potential contents until later. McCollin started to stride toward the nearest transporter but Jarrad stopped him by hailing his communicator before he even got a couple meters away. Puzzled, McCollin turned around slowly walked back to where Jarrad was standing. He came to a stop and was about to say something when Jarrad pulled back his sleeve to reveal a device on his wrist. The Grand Admiral touched a button on the device and both of them found themselves enveloped in a transporter beam. The two appeared moments later in the ship's auditorium aboard the _ARCHANGEL_. The room also served as the cafeteria and several crew members were surprised by the two officer's sudden appearance. All present snapped to their feet. Jarrad acknowledged and let them get back to what they were doing. McCollin slowly turned and faced his superior with a sly, bemused look on his face. He then chuckled,

"Pfft! You and your toys…" Jarrad shrugged in reply,

"It's just a Link-up. No big deal." He pulled back his sleeve to show his friend the Nortanian device and cleared the coordinates from the display by deactivating the transport function. While McCollin had been in his quarters, Jarrad had authorized the transport and then used the device to process the event. McCollin commented,

"I know what it is, as head of the AEC I've got one. I just never use it since it gets in the way of my work. Since it is just an enhanced communicator with a specialized sensor relay array, the unique subspace field effect can have unique interactions with certain equipment. By the way, I would have thought you'd have a Data-link by now?" Jarrad nodded ruefully at the consideration of the '_high-end_' version of the device. It was now his turn to shrug. The two Admirals were making their way randomly around the _ARCHANGEL_, admiring the design as they went. There was currently no bridge crew on duty since the vessel had not been fully commissioned as yet. There was one final piece of equipment that had to be installed at _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ first that was uniquely Nortanian. If it integrated well with Drakmärian technology, it would become universal. Jarrad was just about to ask McCollin if he wanted to go grab a couple illuminators and give the Bridge a once-over anyway when the Engineer spoke up,

"Hey D, look where we are!" Confused, Jarrad looked around and noted that they were on one of the crew decks. He then noticed _exactly_ where they were when he saw where the other man was pointing. The two line nameplate by the door read: **_VICE ADMIRAL BRIAN A.J. O'CAMP_COMMANDING OFFICER** and the cabin location was on a separate plate below. Jarrad grinned while rereading the rank label as if some private thought had occurred to him. McCollin misunderstood the intent of Jarrad's reaction and suggested,

"What say we make a complete _inspection_ of his quarters?" Without waiting for a response, he reached over and input a series of codes into the static control panel that ran along the wall. The door slid open obediently. Jarrad walked forward and stopped mid-stride about a step and a half into the room. He licked his lips slowly and drew a slow breath in through his nose and held it for a moment. There was a moment of stillness as both paused while Jarrad ran his eyes around the quarters. Both broke the silence simultaneously. McCollin made a noise in his throat, either a thoughtful hum or clearing his throat, Jarrad couldn't be sure. At the same time, Jarrad released the breath he'd been holding between pursed lips. He slowly retraced his steps by walking backwards and waited for the door to close. He shook his head and mumbled,

"I don't know Mike, maybe some other time. Opening another man's present sits a little too low on my _fairness meter_." McCollin's eyes flew open wide and he said,

"Learn something new everyday, I didn't realize you were into Lunärian philosophy."

"What's that? Oh you mean the '_Scales of Destiny_' thing. Sort of but it's actually a similar doctrine put forth by Da'kr-Z." McCollin nodded and shrugged as he switched the herb stick from one corner of his lips to the other. Jarrad reached over the control panel and input a series of commands into the unit. The unit's readout changed to read a bold **LOCKED** and underneath it flashed **command-level override authorization required**. Jarrad tilted his head to one side and asked,

"I know that after his commanding of the _SHROUD_, O'Camp had this project redesigned so that it could incorporate many of the new advances. What is new and unique about this vessel?"

"The _SHROUD_ is a very specialized vessel and some of her advances came to us from Pr'gn's company. Let's go to Engineering and I'll show you a work of art." Jarrad followed McCollin and when they got to the section, found himself looking at the most unusual drive system he'd ever seen. A familiar voice called out from behind one of several workstations and the source popped up into a standing position as he spoke,

"Good evening gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure?" As soon as the Lieutenant Commander's head cleared the station he saw who he was addressing and immediately snapped to attention. "_Attention! Admirals on deck!_" There was some shuffling as about a dozen others followed suit. Once Jarrad acknowledged the courtesy, the young man concluded, "I wasn't aware that you were aboard, otherwise I would have prepared for a more formal inspection. Perhaps even prepared my favorite _Tsu-Ya-Ga._" The Trill then surprised Jarrad by not only mentioning the Cherokee delicacy of Bean Bread, but then continued by covering his arm with a towel and asking with a flourish, "_Ja-yo-si-ha-s_?" are you hungry? Completely taken aback, Jarrad didn't even stop to think when he replied in Cherokee,

"_Hi-tsa-la-gi-s_?" _(Are you Cherokee?)_ Jarrad rolled his eyes at his obvious mistake and the Trill smiled as the Grand Admiral shook his head and replied, "_Go hi u da ga li sta yv ni._" _(I will eat later)_ . In reply to his question, Ses answered,

"_U-s-ti tsi wo-ni tsa-la-gi._" _(I speak a little Cherokee)_ and then explained, "I had a host who helped build a home for a _di-da-nv-wi-s-gi (medicine man)_ who had survived the Trail of Tears. After we began working together he called me _o-gi-na-li (my friend_) " Impressed, Jarrad replied,

"Wow, I'm the 8th generation of my family out from that era. I didn't realize you were _that_ old!" Ses shrugged nonchalantly,

"That was only 5-600 years and 7 hosts ago for me. I had nearly a dozen hosts in the century before that." This time McCollin, who had gotten lost in the foreign-language exchange, took his turn to be impressed. Jarrad gestured at the workstation and asked,

"How is the _U-gv-wi-yu-hi A-ni-da-we-hi (King Angel)_ coming along?" Ses paused and answered with a puzzled look on his face,

"Just fine sir…but I thought the translation would be more accurately rendered _Wu-li-ni-gv-gv A-ni-da-we-hi_ _(Mighty Angel)_ ?" Jarrad pondered that for a moment and smiled,

"I guess that all depends where Admiral O'Camp's delusions of grandeur stand that day!" Both officers disintegrated into a fit of laughter. McCollin, whose universal translator hadn't even begun to catch up, politely joined in while adding,

"Pfft! You people are nuts!" Jarrad then gestured to the Senior Engineer and said,

"Mike and I were just taking a little look-see to pass the time. Nothing remotely official. So please carry on." Ses nodded and announced,

"I'm sure that his insight will do adequately. I have to continue to prepare for the indoctrination, a task which will take up most of the next couple days of the trip. So I'll see you around. _O-s-da sv-hi-ye-yi_ _(Good Evening)_ ." As Ses turned back to what he had been doing, Jarrad intoned,

"_To-hi-du_, _da-nv-tli._" _(Good peace (of wholeness), brother)_ Ses paused and inclined his head toward Jarrad in an abbreviated bow. After disappearing behind the workstation, the Trill commented,

"Hey Boss, if you should need any help with anything, I'll be around." McCollin chuckled in reply,

"I'll make a note. You've got plenty of time so take it easy—or at least try to…" As the two Admirals began to make their way further into the section, McCollin addressed Jarrad,

"One day he'll have my job. With as much work as he's put into this project, I'm recommending to O'Camp that Ses be promoted since he's up for it anyway. You have any subordinates that are too good at their job?" Jarrad pondered that as they rounded the corner before the new drive system. He then answered,

"Not on the Spacedock inasmuch as on my temporary flagship. The _NARNIA_ is nice ship with a great crew but I still miss _my_ ship…although, technically, they _are_ the same tri-nacelle 'EXPLORATORY BATTLECRUISER'-class starship. The First Officer is an ambitious young lady who could probably give Primus Larrgn a run for his money in wits or combat. She's told me she wants my job and I'm willing to bet that after that, she'll probably set her sights on becoming Larr's Queen. Other than that, is their Assistant Chief of Operations who gets assigned as my Yeoman when I'm aboard. She may know the book better than Mainframe and is so brutally efficient that it gives me chills sometimes. Which is good but her personality leaves a little to be desired. The only other person of note is a Nortanian Security Officer in the Exchange Program who knows his job and is quite well-liked but seems extremely nervous for his position." On the third officer's description, McCollin nodded vigorously and interrupted,

"I know exactly who you're referring to. In fact, he's currently working as a Security Team Leader in the Engineering section aboard the _LARRGN-Z_. At 9 rotations, he's practically become a lifer in the Short-Term Rotations Program." Jarrad frowned as he shared his friend's rueful chuckle at the thought. The Drakmärian Alliance's Star Corps' Commandant analyzed,

"Unfortunately, that will give him plenty of experience but little chance for advancement. More than 10 rotations will wind up giving him a reputation as an officer with no future. I hesitate to make a formal request to Hersh to counsel him but I don't see much options." McCollin responded his understanding,

"Since Hersh is now officially head of Star Corps Security, that would tend to make it a matter of official record in his file which would do about as much damage to his career. I've seen him and our friend Ses hanging around a lot so I'll mention it to him to address the situation. Perhaps I'll just ask Ses to have him limit further rotations to either _Facilities_ or _Vessels_ and hope he gets the hint." Jarrad wagged a finger at his friend's insight and agreed,

"Good idea." They were now standing in front of the most unusual and unique drive system Jarrad had ever seen. Looking it over briefly before McCollin began to explain the design Jarrad mused that _drives would be a more accurate way of describing the new setup_ as he took the odd design in. McCollin input commands into the panel before him and then picked up a Portable Optical Indicator Narrow Topic Emitter Relay. The _POINTER_ was simply that, a 'pointer' with a fancy acronym behind it. It could broadcast a line-of-sight holographic image that was up to 1 foot in size up to 100 meters away. The color and image projected could be modified by a small control panel but the flexibility was limited by the low level of memory and the small image library. The library had been programmed by its Vulcan designer to images that pertained to direction as well as diagram specification codes. The Engineer spoke while gesturing accordingly with the device,

"It is called a '_Penta-static_' drive system. I contains 5 cores as you can see. Each core is set to a unique rating level. The one in front is set to the Standard Median settings. The next two are both set to _high yield_ with the next set being _low yield_. The reason why there are two of each is that the _left_ one of each pair is set to _high intensity_ with the _right_ being _low intensity_. Gives you five unique Warp Fields and the ability to configure for any need nearly instantly. With the power levels that are involved, at least two are kept in _Active Standby_ mode which is rotated on a regular basis. The _Active Standby_ isn't necessary but since it's working so well for you on the Spacedock, it's become policy at the AEC as my vain way of scoring points with you… Anyway, even at normal output levels, this setup runs at 170 efficiency. This means that we can finally run heavy equipment at full capacity during _critical load_ need times _without_ having to divert power. It also means that shields and phasers need much less recirculation time when they've been taxed during combat. For example, Field Regeneration for the shields is now up to 80 faster in simulation—and that's a rather _conservative_ estimate in my review. We can also directly feed…say, phasers, shields, and sensors individually for combat reasons while maintaining propulsion _at capacity_. The other nice thing is that the Atomizer is fed with a dedicated link from _just one_ of the cores. Which is, of course, the _high yield, high intensity_ module on the front left. Speaking of which, this ship is completely modular and the Atomizer was reconfigured and redesigned accordingly. You can now access the critical components of the weapon in-flight so that it can be primed and aligned for discharge in a matter of minutes. The fact that most of the critical equipment is enveloped in an inert material also reduces the amount of environment stress and there is a 60 reduction in impact from normal operation damage. This means that we were able to reduce the coolant manifold pressure to 33since the amount of heat from friction is reduced. It also means that the Atomizer doesn't manage to tear itself and the surrounding systems apart as much when it is fired. Under extreme conditions, you can fire it about _5 times_ before you have to replace components and rotate the _high-high _core to standby for about 3-7 minutes. Which isn't bad at all! One other thing is that standard load-rated reactor is run on an inverse polarity feed for systemic integrity. This causes the mid-range phase converters to reprocess the feed which helps prevent an overload in case of yield or intensity overlap." Dutifully impressed, Jarrad thought aloud,

"I wonder what it would take to get Acroyer to incorporate this into my _TANELORN_?"

"Nothing. _Miracle Works_ has been working on refining the Subspace Field Geometry so that it can be adapted. We've already come up with a way for it to maintain _two_ operational Atomizers since your Warp drives will be the standard units rather than specialized high-performance '_small-install_' models like these. Unfortunately, rollout for the new design is on the books for about 1 1/2 years from now, so the systems integration will take place during the first drydock after her _shakedown cruise_. Now hold on a moment before you start pouting D, the systems will be installed…" Jarrad interrupted his friend here by mock-sighing,

"This is where the '**_but_**' comes in, I take it…?" McCollin muttered _you and your toys! _under his breath barely loud enough for Jarrad hear but the Grand Fleet Admiral ignored the tease. McCollin paused for a moment and then said tentatively in mock-seriousness,

"May I have his high-exaltednesses' permission to continue!" Without waiting for a response, he continued which elicited a laugh out of Jarrad, "We will have to limit the output to a total of 100 since we have to contain the field with the confines of the hull. In a emergency, since the ship is longer than it is wide, the field could be expanded. This would cause a loss of efficiency since about 22 of the field would radiate into open space and disperse. Think of it this way, The _TANELORN_ is a rectangle viewed from above. Take a compass and draw a circle using the centerline of the length of the rectangle as the diameter. The 400 meter difference in width at the sides of the field is all waste and is like sticking a hole into the side of a water balloon you are trying to fill." The last statement reminded Jarrad of a failed prank the two had tried to pull on shore leave back with the original _TANELORN_ and suddenly the senior officer understood. A familiar voice chimed in to the conversation from behind them and they turned to face the speaker,

"Hello Boss, enjoying your visit?" McCollin was the first to respond to Petty officer Kierns, his former Operations Specialist from when he commanded the _LARRGN-Z_,

"Good evening Mr. Kierns, I thought you had transferred out of Ops and were working on the _TANELORN_ project? What brings you back to the neighborhood of the _LARRGN-Z_?" She smiled a tight smile, a throwback to the fact that she had a Vulcanoid ancestor and replied in usual dry manner,

"I'm serving a TDAT here since technically I'm serving the Construction Facility. I'm currently not in Ops but the uniform is the same for the Security field. Captain Jasmyn has been keeping tabs on you since you boarded and suggested that I might wish to extend my regards to my former Commander."

"I appreciate the sentiment. Did you ever formally meet Admiral Jarrad when you were briefly assigned to the _TANELORN-A_?"

"That I did sir. The Admiral, his ship and crew are all quite unique in their own distinct ways."

"I've been telling him that for years."

"But not quite in the same fashion I have." Kierns concluded and the two men paused for a moment before they realized she was being sarcastic and both chuckled. The Security Officer then took her leave and Jarrad gazed at the bag McCollin was still carrying as the Engineer shut down the terminal they were using. McCollin glanced sidelong at him and asked,

"Starting to bug you isn't it? Well follow me and we'll check this baby out." Jarrad felt his pulse begin to quicken as once again he hazarded a guess as to what was in the container and remarked,

"Bet it brings you no shortage of pleasure having it and now being able to share?" McCollin paused for a moment and then answered slowly while nodding,

"Well yes, in a manner of speaking, I guess you _could_ put it that way." Jarrad followed McCollin as they retraced their steps to the Auditorium. Upon entering, McCollin noted that there were still about a dozen or so personnel in the room. Even in the moment they stood there watching, two left and 5 more entered. The two men stepped out of the doorway and let the doors slide closed in front of them. McCollin said breezily,

"I'd rather have a bit of privacy for this. I wonder if there's an Officer's Mess or something?" Jarrad looked up and down the hallway as he said,

"Well we could just ask one of the people on duty, except that there doesn't seem to be anyone around. I guess we'll just have to ask inside." He then got an idea and continued, "The Petty Officer said that Jasmyn was keeping tabs on us so let's ask her." Remembering that his Link-Up was tied into the _LARRGN-Z_'s computer, he started to reach for his comm badge and then remembered that didn't change the fact that internal communications were not operational yet. He then reached over and activated the static control panel on the wall nearest him and accessed the communications section,

"Admiral Jarrad to Captain Jasmyn, please."

"Jasmyn here, what do you need sir?" The voice sounded odd since communications devices by law were supposed to have a '_filtered_' quality to them to be recognized as such. From Jarrad's expression he seemed mildly concerned by this and opened his mouth to address the device again when McCollin tapped him on the shoulder. He pointed to the panel and was preparing to comment to his friend when he noticed a figure out of the corner of his eye. That of a Nortanian female wearing the 4 rank hashes of a Militia Captain arranged in a semi-star-shaped pattern set on a 2 inch black disk which was decorating her silver military sash at about the same place as the two Star Corps officer's comm badges. She raised her hand as if to salute him but merely drew back the arm of her uniform to expose her Datalink as she said,

"You could have just used your Link-Up to call me since you seem to be getting quite proficient in its other uses Admiral." Confused, Jarrad looked at the device on his wrist and replied,

"But I had it tied to the computer aboard the _LARRGN-Z_ so I could transport…" His voice trailed off as she gave him a look that one would give a child who was upset after being stopped from making a silly mistake. Jarrad thought he caught a hint of condescension in her voice but knew that she had a reputation for being bold and no-nonsense and figured that to be the case when she spoke,

"Once it began to broadcast, my Datalink would have locked the signal and it would have been tied together with mine as a local server." She tapped a few keys on her Datalink and reported, "For example, sensors indicate that your heart rate is slightly elevated over norm and I just transmitted a deck layout of this vessel to your device. The layout will disappear should you program any transport coordinates into the display's memory. Now what is it you needed me for?"

"Mike and I need a private location to have a discussion on some confidential matters. This location needs to have a replicator as well. We were wondering if there was an Officer's Mess available?"

"Yes there is but if you want explicit privacy, it would be impractical as there are several officers aboard and it would be deemed unfair to impinge on the benefits they have worked so hard for. If you wish me to restrict that area for your usage, I would ask that you inform them of your decision if this is an unofficial capacity since they are on ship's business. Otherwise, I can come up with a reasonable compromise." Jarrad was about to comment that her boldness nearly bordered on insubordination when he recognized the logic of her position. He shrugged and replied,

"Sure Jasmyn, let hear it." With an expression that could pass as bemused in a human, the Nortanian informed him,

"The Bridge Conference Room is available and can be entered via the corridor access. The Bridge door has a maintenance seal on it and should not be opened for reason of your safety. The replicator is operational but requests must be manually input. If that is satisfactory, you can ascertain its location from the information I transferred to your Link-Up unless you desire an escort."

"That location will be fine. I'm sure that we can find it without incident, but thank you for the offer, Jasmyn."

"With all due respect Admiral, that would be _Captain_ Jasmyn or, since the superior of us is off duty and the junior is a member of the Militia, Janniver is my given name." Slightly taken aback, Jarrad thought _She takes as much getting used to as my aide aboard the NARNIA_ and responded,

"Oh really? Well then I stand enlightened. I'm D." She nodded and began to turn away as she said,

"I'm well aware of that sir. Enjoy your visit and feel free to contact my staff if you need anything since we all have Datalinks. Now if you will excuse me I have some business to attend to." The two Humans made their way in silence to their destination. Once they were several sections away, McCollin peeked back around a corner to ensure that they weren't being followed and whispered mischievously to Jarrad while elbowing him in the ribs,

"I think she likes you, D-man!" Jarrad rolled his eyes in mock frustration, shook his head, and answered,

"If she _likes_ me, then my aide aboard the _NARNIA_ must be absolutely _in love_ with me and I'll have to have Scout have a chat with her." McCollin roared with laughter at this. Using the diagrams in the device on his wrist as a road map, they found the Conference Room quite easily. The first thing they noticed was that only the emergency lighting was on. The conference table was roughly 1/3 smaller and the chairs were not a separate part of the setup. The chairs were on sliding tracks that pulled away from the table and the backs telescoped up and locked into place as the chair was slid away from the table. McCollin strode over to the Bridge entrance door and saw that it was _hard-keyed_ to prevent access. Unless he requested a Technician's code from Engineering, even his Admiral's code couldn't get him access. Getting a code would involve obtaining an Engineering protective jumpsuit to which the codes would be programmed into a key that was attached to the jumpsuit's built-in toolkit. Not wanting to go through all that hassle, he grabbed a couple of maintenance lights and brought them closer to the table before activating them. He then proceeded to the replicator and ordered up a couple of nondescript 8-ounce glasses. When Jarrad gave him an odd look he commented,

"Part of my surprise." McCollin had been walking to the chair to the left of the head of the table, where the Command Interface Control Panel was located. McCollin stopped in mid-stride as he noted the odd location and then remembered that O'Camp was left-handed. As he finished his comment he looked back at Jarrad whose eyes were flicking back up to McCollin's face after seeming to be glancing at the chair McCollin had just pulled out with noticeable confusion on his face. He plopped down into the chair and kicked up his feet in direct contrast to Jarrad's sitting backward in his chair. He slid the cylindrical pack off his shoulder and snapped off its top. There was a small wisp of quickly dissipating vapor that appeared as he did. He noted Jarrad's look of anticipation as he reached in and pulled out the item contained within. With a flourish, McCollin snapped the container down and away. As Jarrad's eyes locked on the antique bottle of wine, and a brief look of disappointment swept across his face. McCollin asked what the problem was, asking if spending so much time around O'Camp had turned him into a teetotaler. Jarrad winced and apologized,

"No I just thought that it… Never mind, my reaction was rude and uncalled for. I take it you're using one glass in each hand in case you miss the first try!" McCollin gave him a withering look and something clicked in his mind.

"Oh…you thought I was carrying another one of _these_ babies?" He reached down and snapped his Lightsaber out of its holster on his boot. Jarrad nodded sheepishly and McCollin ignited the weapon. He then maneuvered the herb stick so that one end was between his front teeth holding it pointing straight out. He then held the saber's glowing blade against the other end until it smoked. The scent of the herbs quickly filled the room and McCollin swept the cloud of smoke toward his face and inhaled deeply through his nose. He held the breath for nearly a minute and then slowly exhaled it as he said softly,

"Aaaahhhhhh…… The scent of home. About 80 of the herbs in this stick come from my home province on Lunär." Jarrad filled both glasses half full and handed one over. The two men spent the next half hour making various toasts. They toasted by name all of those they had ever worked with. They toasted those who had paid the ultimate price during the war. They toasted by name all the ships in the fleet and the names of their commanding officers. Jarrad's final toast was for two fallen comrades he had been especially close to: Dermon and Vitro. McCollin's final toast was for those who go the extra mile to keep things running and keep designing new ways to stay one step ahead of the enemy, the unsung heroes: Engineers. They made a mutual final toast to the quick resolution of the war before they tapped their glasses together. Jarrad noted as he drank that the wine had an unusual texture. This was the first time he'd had Lunärian wine and it was excellent! He knew that Lunärians had a special fermenting process that was a cultural secret and involved a recipe that was indigenous to their planet. It went down smoother than Bajoran mint honey. Jarrad hadn't had any alcoholic beverages since his wedding almost a year ago, but this didn't have that usual warm feeling when it hit his stomach. With that, he figured that it was most likely a _synthehol-version_ of the beverage. Jarrad felt awkward not having some snack foods handy to munch on as he partook of the wine so he called up an assortment from the replicator as McCollin poured another round. Once Jarrad had straddled the chair once again McCollin requested,

"I've been out of touch with Brian for some time now, how about you bring me up to speed?" Jarrad got a sly grin on his face as he took another sip and said,

"Let me guess, now that Vitro is gone, you want to know if I can tell you about that _highly-classified_ mission the two of them took part in?" McCollin nodded casually,

"The one even my rank doesn't clear me for…" Jarrad sighed and shrugged,

"OK, OK, OK… There's not much to tell really. The incident was labeled _Miranda Rights_ and it involves a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive. Brian was visiting the _MERCY_ along with Joe to install some new piece of medical equipment. They got a distress call from a ship in Federation territory saying that they had a _medical emergency_. For some logistical reason, the _MERCY_ had to wait for a few minutes before responding so Brian and Joe borrowed an AVION-class Wayfarer to respond. It turned out that the Federation was testing an adapted Klingon cloaking device. They were trying to use the cloak to take the vessel out of phase and had just finalized calibration when a member of the crew stole the device and a Runabout. The only weapon the thief had not sabotaged was a Kroniton-based device which was also being tested. The first shot did moderate damage and the second hit right as the cloak was going into effect. The dephasing of the partially calibrated Kroniton field caused a rift in time. They hooked the Kroniton weapon up to the Wayfarer and pursued the thief. They wound up in a nebula that was being mapped by the _USS MIRANDA_. The nebula was starting to interfere with the Wayfarer's systems so they bluffed the _MIRANDA's_ Captain into helping them. They wound up doing some fancy rigging of the Wayfarer's systems to the starship's to find the Runabout which was able to only partly cloak due to the damage and to the nebula's effects. They were also forced to destroy the Runabout as the thief gave them no choice. Satisfied now!" Jarrad grinned. McCollin made a face as though he was deciding whether or not he was truly satisfied. Jarrad sighed in mock exasperation and continued,

"Most of the others you already know about. But I'll tell you the inside stories anyway referring to O'Camp in the generic. Picking one at random, I'll start with the incident labeled _Gomshu _which involved Pr'gn as well. They took a vacation at their adopted hometown just before Pr'gn left to head to the Civilian sector. They found that the local City Council had been dissolved and the city was being run by vicious political sycophant who had imprisoned all the former residents and was ruling the current residents by fear. Knowing Pr'gn's reputation, the leader made him an offer that was too good to be true. Pr'gn was about to accept the offer when an attempt was made on O'Camp's life by one of the leader's hirelings who was trying to figure out where he stood in the situation. When the injured O'Camp disappeared, the hireling informed the leader that it was a conspiracy against the leader and Pr'gn was in on it. Pr'gn was subsequently arrested but was rescued moments before he was to be executed. He took Pr'gn to a hidden area under their old house where he had been recuperating. They managed to cobble together improvised weapons from his old supplies and then went on the offensive."

"That last bit sounds like Pr'gn's kind of fun, what next?"

"Well if you had been present during the Transgate demonstration, you would have taken part in the incident labeled _Powerslide_ when he tested it for use on the Outpost. The enhanced scanners make a base scan using the subject's DNA. Since he has Romulan RNA in his system which has a higher-density triple-helix, it caused a malfunction in the Transgate and he was returned to the source site via regular transporter…which was a very interesting trick for Conidi to pull off. Unbeknownst to the attendees, a copy of the rescued officer made from his RNA still wound up transporting to the destination via the 'gate. That caught those at the destination 'gate by surprise and this Romulan he called Khariyyg subdued them and escaped, believing he'd been captured by enemy forces. This turned the Spacedock into a battleground as Khariyyg left traps almost everywhere he went and his life was imperiled by the loss of his cellular integrity. Pr'gn and I worked together to create an elaborate trap that used him as bait to resolve the situation. From what I understand, it was very similar to when you and your Academy roommate got in trouble for playing _site-to-site Transporter tag_."

"Pfft! And to think all my instructors said _activities like that were the undoing of any potential officer candidate_… Where do I file a grievance!"

"The next one Xark probably already told you about but I'll tell you my side of the _Ultimate Gam(bl)e_ incident. It was offered as the "_Ultimate Game_" competition but turned out to be a major gamble to all involved. We were reunited with our comrades from the Federation when a border planet seeking dual-membership invited officers from both powers to join in a martial-arts competition. The _GALLOWAY_ showed as well since Scott, no matter my past differences with her, is one of the finest and foremost martial artists I've met. Unbeknownst to us all, a planetary Administrator had found a machine that supposedly transfers all life essence, knowledge, and experience of another to the user and thought that the essence of the tournament winner would make him immortal. Several mysterious incidents occurred involving Alliance personnel, which took most of them out of the competition. Pr'gn refused to deliver final points in a sword fight against an incapacitated opponent and was disqualified, our illustrious Irishman made physical contact with another contender to stop him from using a hypo to implant a mind-control device on me while I was sleeping since I was a Judge. Captain Scott, who was in the lead, wound up being kidnapped after the Administrator contacted the Jerichans telling them they could have the planet. With only a few moments notice, I decided to go forward with the rescue and sent the two starships away from the planet to distract the Berger. Under his command, the _NARNIA_ managed to hold off the attackers even after the _BABYLON-3_ sustained severe damage and had to be abandoned. That was also the mission in which Pr'gn was racing grav-cars and both crashed, shattering the Engineer's leg and killing the Administrator's Aide who was trying to escape."

"I'll have to touch base with Pr'gn and challenge him to a duel sometime to see what kind of swordsman he really is. I could use a good challenge when I practice."

"For the incident entitled _Dark Band_, you were actually there for part of it. That took place when Captain Hersh returned to active duty. A terrorist threat was made against his family not long before the ceremony you attended. He was put in charge of the Guard detail due to the family friendship during the reinstatement ceremony. One of the Guards turned out to be an impostor who attacked and seriously injured him with a Fist Blade. Despite the injury, he fought back but was unable to prevent the abduction of Hersh's child. Due to his personal beliefs, since he had fought alone and unarmed for Hersh's family, Hersh felt obligated to rescue his child in the same manner. After several days of _cat-and-mouse_ encounters, Hersh finally confronted the men responsible. Hersh incapacitated them individually until he got close to their base when their leader demanded his surrender or the child would be killed. Realizing he was within moments of being vastly outnumbered, Hersh went on a furious rampaging attack."

"Awesome! Sounds like Hersh has some Lunärian in his blood! Who knows, maybe Nortanians and Lunärians have more in common than we thought?"

"The final one I can think of is the _Shadowlands_ incident which involved yours truly. I was alone at the controls of a ROGUE during a pilot training exercise. My craft got disabled when a nearby storm swept through the area which also caused a major malfunction in the host craft for the mission. the energy of the storm interfered with my systems long enough for me to get thrown way off track. With only 1 thruster working sporadically, life support damaged, and the radiation of the storm confusing the rescuer's tracking system, I had to rely on my wits to avoid the perils of the Shadowlands until my rescuers could locate me. The nearest starship equipped for all aspects of the operation, the _NARNIA_, was 2 days away. He was still able to talk me through everything while on approach though, which probably saved my life. The residue of the storm completely cut me off from my host craft and they, like me, had little subspace field left. The difference was that although neither craft had sensors, I still had communications since I'd been farther away from the storm. In a risky operation, I used almost all of my remaining power to contact a local Shadowcat to download a new map to get back to the disabled host ship…a perilous journey through an unstable, mazelike section of the phenomenon if I do say so myself."

"And then you woke up." McCollin chuckled. Jarrad replied in kind sarcastically, while feigning a pout. The two friends continued to talk for hours. They reminisced about old times. Teased each other mercilessly. Fondly remembered the simpler days when they could just have a good time for the sake of having it. Praised the victories that had been won. They kept on until there was one last serving left and McCollin insisted that Jarrad give that to his wife Scout.

* * *

"AAAGGGGGGHHHHHH……………! OH, NOooo, MY, DEAR, SWEET, HEAD OOOOoooooohhhhhh………" Jarrad awoke to the equivalent of a compound series of antimatter explosions going off in his head. He groaned in agony for a few seconds until he realized that the sound was making things worse. He opened his eyes and the light became a knife that pierced his eyes all the way to the back of his skull. In a soft whisper he requested, 

"Computer, reduce light to 10 of normal—pleeeeaaaasee?" Even the soft _chirp-chirp_ of the computer announcing compliance sent a jarring shockwave though his awareness. Jarrad rolled himself up into a sitting position a couple inches at a time. Quite satisfied with his progress, he began the arduous process of standing up. He put both hands on the wall next to the bed he was on to steady himself as he began to arise. Even with both feet squarely on the floor and both hands supporting him, the room itself seemed not to want to cooperate as it began to shimmy as soon as his posterior left the sheet it had been resting comfortably on. With his awkward position, a wave of nausea hit him and he suddenly decided that this might not have been such a good idea after all.

"Hi honey, how are you doing?" It might have been his imagination, but it sounded suspiciously like the speaker was being excessively loud on purpose. Out of reflex, Jarrad's hands flew to his throbbing head. This action had the side-effect of removing the precarious support the wall was giving him which had the net result of the ground suddenly rushing up to meet him in a rather abrupt manner. He lay there in a very uncomfortable and unceremonious heap for several moments while waiting for the room to stop doing its imitation of a Cromurian Olympic tumbler acrobat. He very carefully and gradually removed himself from the haphazard '_human pretzel_' position he was in and faced the other occupant of the room. His wife. He started to ask her something but the question was immediately forgotten as she asked,

"Did you enjoy your little nap?" Each word was a thunderclap to his addled brain.

"How long………?" Was all he could think to ask out of the morass of cacophony that resounded through his head. He looked at her with an almost pleading look through bleary eyes and she paused for a moment to avoid laughing at her husband's plight. She relented and spoke in soft even tones,

"A day and a half ago is when were brought back aboard the _LARRGN-Z_. First watch will be over soon so if you want someone to take care of that headache without too many questions, you may want to get to Sickbay soon." Jarrad somehow managed to see the reason in this and reached for his Link-Up only to find it missing. Scout explained,

"Mike wanted to play with it for awhile and borrowed it." Jarrad began to frown and she admitted, "Actually the crew on the _ARCHANGEL_ wanted to test a third-party link with the Nucleitech packs. They figured that since the packs are now standardized, if they could get feedback while polling even an inert server, they would likely have no problems with other integrations." Jarrad buried his head in his hands as though this was entirely too much information for him to absorb although he vaguely remembered McCollin mentioning it to him. He'd agreed that it was a good idea that made sense at the time. At his insistence, Scout helped him to his feet and walked him to the nearest transporter which was 2 sections over. They had just turned the final corner and were gingerly making their way to the third door on the left when a figure turned the far corner. Commander Norss-Kregor exchanged pleasantries with the Jarrads and then excused herself since she was due to report to the bridge for Science station duty to monitor the progress through the Shadowlands. The yellow-skinned Lunärian began to ease her massive frame toward her destination when she paused. She sniffed at the air for a few seconds and than continued on her way as she growled,

"Hmm… Very choice vintage sir!" Jarrad groaned softly and sighed,

"_Oh…shut…up_…" Scout giggled softly as they entered the transporter area. The Technician on duty snapped to attention and requested their destination. Too low for the attendant to hear, Jarrad mumbled,

"My head, deep space, widest dispersion possible. Perhaps then my headache will fit!" Scout covered up a chuckle by clearing her throat and replied as businesslike as possible,

"The Admiral and I need to see to Operations aboard the _ARCHANGEL_. Since the Admiral also needs to have his vitamins for the day, if you would oblige us by transporting us directly to the _ARCHANGEL_'s Sickbay we would be most grateful." The officer replied that they were more than happy to serve and they found themselves at their requested destination within seconds. Finding a seat at a terminal, Jarrad began to rummage through the database. His condition was beginning to get to the _cranky_ phase and he told Scout to go touch base with those working in the Science section. He began calling up the various compounds he needed from memory when a familiar voice asked him if he needed any help. Jarrad replied that he did not and that he was almost done. There was a pause as Jarrad finished and was about to request a hypo with the compound when the voice continued,

"Unfortunately since you have no medical authorization, the computer will not manufacture that compound. Besides, are you _trying_ to make yourself _sick_ with _that_ combination!" Jarrad turned and faced Ses who was looking at him with a bemused expression. Jarrad asked,

"I thought you were an _Engineer_? What are you doing here in the _Medical_ department?" Ses shrugged,

"Engineering, Doctor—what's the difference? _Parts is parts_!" Jarrad gave him an odd look and asked,

"OK then I guess this is where you tell me you've got an answer for my problem?" The Trill, whose host was easily half the Admiral's age, gave him a look of a parent who was disappointed at a misbehaving child and answered,

"Why yes, since you ask: _don't get drunk_!"

"I didn't think it was alco……" Jarrad began to protest but recognized what the withering look the other man was giving him meant and chorused it along with him as he said,

"At least the _I didn't think_ part was right!" Jarrad sat there for a moment alone in his embarrassment. Ses paused for that moment then continued, "Oh come now, young man, don't be looking so moribund. I've had this same conversation with at _least_ a _dozen_ or so of my _own_ children." The concept of a man that young having that many children temporarily got Jarrad's mind off his own predicament. Unfortunately this respite didn't last nearly long enough for Jarrad's liking. The Admiral glanced up from the floor where he was staring to look at what the conjoined being was doing and said,

"The only problem with _that_ argument is that none of _your children_ can charge you with insubordination…Hey! What are you doing that for! I thought you said you were going to _help_ me!" Jarrad interrupted his train of thought to protest Ses' clearing the terminal he had just been using to concoct a cure for his dilemma. Without turning to face him, Ses began smoothly entering commands of his own into the terminal as he replied,

"First off you are incorrect as Commodore Jade's First Officer aboard the new SOVEREIGN-class _VALIANT_ is my previous host's great-grandson. Since he holds the rank of Captain, he clearly outranks me. Should you opt to charge me, I'll simply resign and take Pr'gn up on his offer. The work isn't as exciting, but the pay is several times as much. I only stay since I enjoy the work. As far as your _concoction_ is concerned, I mentioned before that using it would make you worse than when you started by swapping the problem in your _head_ for one with your _stomach_. The series of treatments I'm giving you will leave you feeling only a little light-headed. But you must do _everything_ I say." Jarrad agreed and Ses began the regimen. He gave Jarrad a very mild painkiller and then a series of vitamin and electrolyte boosters. Between each, he also gave Jarrad a saline solution as well as a tri-ox and tricordrizine mixture. Jarrad was then put on a treadmill and told to run as fast as he could for as long as he could. Then the regimen was repeated until it was concluded nearly two hours later, Jarrad was bathed in sweat but, true to Ses' word, only feeling a little light-headed. While Ses prepared something to eat for Jarrad, he sent the exhausted man off to get a shower in the CMO's office. Ses wasn't done with him yet as, halfway through the shower, he switched the emitter from low-frequency to high for several seconds. Jarrad emerged from the office wearing a fresh uniform, stalked over to the Trill, and growled,

"That was _not_ funny! I have _hated_ high-frequency showers ever since _plebe-week_ at the Academy! A fact that the upperclassmen took advantage of _all too often_!" He then turned and saw the meal that had been laid out and grabbed the utensils while smiling,

"Thanks, these are some of my favorite delicacies!" Ses looked at him deadpan and replied,

"Those are for me. As part of your treatment, you get to eat this _very nutritious health supplement bar._ I know that it is not very flavorful as it is a bit bland so try to use your imagination and pretend it's a chocolate candy while I eat what's on the plate." Incredulous, Jarrad retorted,

"_What_! You've _got_ to be joking!"

"Yes, I am. Dig in Admiral…" Ses smiled as he slid the plate over while taking a bite of the supplement. Jarrad ate and then Ses told him to go take a brisk walk. He went and visited all the critical systems and chatted up all who were working on preparing the systems for the upcoming integration. About half of those present were actually dedicated Specialists whose only purpose was keep everything running manually so the _prep team_ could do their work. They were also there in case of an attack so the _ARCHANGEL_ would be able to defend itself since the _prep team_ numbered less than a skeleton crew for a vessel this size. He concluded his tour in the main shuttlebay. All the craft hangared here were contained behind a secured barrier. Just exiting said barrier was Jasmyn who was keying information into a tricorder as she made her egress of the area. The Nortanian glanced at him and cooed flirtatiously,

"Well hello Admiral, so good to see you again. I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed our time the other night." She then twitched her eyebrows coquettishly and winked before she strode over to the main entrance where Kierns was inputting data into her own tricorder. The Junior Officer looked up as her comrade approached and listened intently to something Jasmyn said as the Senior Officer pointed her thumb over her shoulder in Jarrad's direction. Kierns leaned her head to glance at Jarrad and smiled broadly at him and gave him a quick _thumbs-up_ before the two made their way over to the bay's elevator. Jarrad was only peripherally aware of their progress as he stared at the floor in a panic trying to think if he'd encountered them after he'd entered the Conference Room. During his desperate yet fruitless process he heard an odd sound coming from the second level near the area the two females should be. He glanced up and saw an odd sight. McCollin was in the Deck Officer's Control Booth and the sound Jarrad heard was his hysterical laughter as the Booth's door slid open. It took a few seconds for Jarrad to understand what had just taken place. _He'd been had_. McCollin paused long enough to hand Jasmyn the Link-Up who then tossed it to Jarrad. Jarrad easily caught the device and affixed it to his wrist. He made eye contact with his friend and raised his hands in surrender. This brought out another fit of laughter from McCollin who was just beginning to recover. Jarrad sighed and shook his head as he headed toward the exit while activating his communicator,

"Jarrad to Gartiér."

"Go ahead, Admiral."

"I would like to formally address all Alliance personnel on this mission upon the conclusion of the coming shift change."

"Understood sir. I will have Recreation Hall #2 prepared for the occasion."

"That will be fine, thank you."

"Acknowledged. _LARRGN-Z_ out." Captain Gartiér closed the channel. Jarrad took a few steps and then an announcement came simultaneously from his Link-Up and his combadge,

"All hands, all stations, this is the Captain speaking. There will be a mandatory address in Rec #2 aboard the _LARRGN-Z_ at 0630."

* * *

"…Thank you all for your time and attention in this matter. Special appreciation goes to the tireless efforts of those attending to the _ARCHANGEL_ itself during this time. My personal thanks also goes out to the crew of the _LARRGN-Z_ during this venture. I realize that you were home bound when this diversion was conceived and I appreciate that your dedication means that their work is just that much easier. I applaud you all." The two crews joined the Grand Fleet Admiral in a round of applause. He switched off the address system and stepped away from the lectern. As he thanked Captain Gartiér for allowing him an "_Admiral's prerogative_" indulgence, a Technician scurried up onto the platform and began tearing down the setup. Jarrad reached over and shook one of the being's four hands as he issued his appreciation for setting up the projector so those who could not be in attendance could take part in the proceedings. The Cromurian smiled and rubbed the side of its head with a free hand—a cultural sign of positive reaction. Jarrad replied in kind and then made an exaggerated show of smoothing his hair in that area back into place. This elicited a giggle out of the Technician. He then turned back to the captain and asked, 

"How is Lieutenant Lehman doing? Is his injury serious?" Half an hour before his speech, Jarrad had touched base with Gartiér as to anyone who would be unable to attend. Aside from 8 people aboard the _ARCHANGEL_ who were actively monitoring a _systems-critical_ procedure, there was an Engineer who had been fine-tuning the power transfer between the two craft when there had been an overload in one of the junction relays. This had left him with 1st degree burns on his left side and chest and the impact had broken his left arm as well as badly spraining his left hip. Jarrad had gone and visited the man who was quite groggy and offered moral support. Gartiér replied,

"His spirits are much improved and the burns will be done in the regenerator by the time we get to the Outpost."

"Glad to hear it. Well, I want to get in some holodeck time before I have to meet my wife for lunch. Then I will be over supervising the progress aboard the _ARCHANGEL_ until we are due for arrival. She's a fine ship, you should stop over for a tour and bring your Senior Staff with you." Gartiér acknowledged that she would do just that and kept her word 3 hours before system fall.

* * *

"Announcing Grand Fleet Admiral Dartanion T. Jarrad, Commandant of the Drakmärian Alliance Star Corps and Commanding Officer of the _Spacedock Charles Darwin_ starbase. Welcome to OUTPOST NORTANIA, permission to disembark granted. Your presence has been requested in Ops and Commodore Hersh will escort you there." The Dockmaster concluded his greeting and Jarrad led his _entourage_ over to where Hersh was waiting by the lifts. Jarrad had looked up the Nortanian tradition for this type of situation and all observed the protocol. As each approached the Dockmaster they saluted him. He remained at attention and did not return the salute. This was, after all, his domain and in saluting him they were saluting _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ and the Nortanian people who put it there. Out of respect for the fact that the Alliance was now running the once-derelict station, Nortania had instituted a slight compromise to honor the fact that the Dockmaster had the Alliance to thank for his job. The Dockmaster acknowledged all Alliance uniforms with a curt nod. After greeting one another Hersh inquired of Jarrad as they stepped into the turbolift, 

"Hey Dart, how was the trip? Eventful at all?" Jarrad cocked his head to one side as he scanned his friend's face for any telltale of _double-entendre_. _Don't tell me that it's **already** become common knowledge_! As blandly as he could, he replied smoothly,

"Just took myself a little tour of the A.C.E.'s new flagship. I think you guys will have even less to worry about now since it looks like in battle, the _ARCHANGEL_ will give new meaning to _divine intervention_ in no uncertain terms." Hersh let out a typical throaty chuckle. Whether it was in response to Jarrad's pun or how deftly he had sidestepped the alternate intent of the question while changing the subject at the same time, Jarrad figured he would never know and was safer that way. They continued to make small talk until the entire entourage was in C&C. The entourage consisted of all the Senior Officers who were transferring in as well as select Department Heads from the visiting _LARRGN-Z_. As they all lined up on the Upper Level across from O'Camp's office, Jarrad could hear his friend talking with another old friend whose voice was quite distinctive even through the door. He could only see the other man's shoulder and part of his head as well as the right side of O'Camp's head. Jarrad had only been able to read part of the protocol concerning greeting the station Commander since Scout had gotten off duty early and had insisted on getting some '_cuddle time_' in before their lunch reservation. Jarrad hadn't needed any convincing to drop what he was doing but was now hoping he didn't make any mistakes. Back when Dermon had been in Command, there had been relatively few Nortanians serving aboard with none of them serving in positions of significance. Since the upgrades dictated the station taking on a more Martial posture, Nortania had _requested_ that the Militia take a more active role in the station. This meant that certain _concessions_ had to be made procedurally and the systems integrations on the station upgrades had to be overhauled _radically_ since there had been interface problems with the two culture's unique technology approaches. From what he could remember, the host Commander always waited until the visiting Dignitary has waited a few silent moments. This gave the visitor a chance to look around the host's _domain_ as well as watch the host's staff in action. The staff in question would acknowledge the entrance of the visitor but neither rise nor salute until their own Commander had entered the area to give the command himself. Moments later, O'Camp concluded his conversation and did just that. O'Camp himself did not salute but paused for a moment. As soon as O'Camp began to walk around the Upper Level toward Jarrad, _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s staff dropped their salutes and went back to work. The memory of his part in the _ritual_ ended at this point for Jarrad and he started to drop his salute as well. His hand was halfway down when Hersh _hissed_ a whispered correction at him that would have done a ventriloquist proud by how little he parted his lips,

"**_NOT YET, DART_**!" In one smooth, quick motion he returned his hand to where it had been. As O'Camp approached past the officers saluting him, he nodded briefly at each one. Hersh gave a running commentary on this beneath his breath,

"Once he's done _surveying the troops_, you will exchange brief yet official pleasantries for the _Hall of Records archive_. He will then say something lighthearted to allow your people to _order arms_ and you will laugh to show that we are all friends and allow your people to comply." Jarrad nodded comprehension. Hersh was actually facing the Admiral but offset at an angle so that when O'Camp took up position to greet Jarrad, Hersh was naturally in position next to his Commanding Officer. O'Camp extended a hand which Jarrad shook as O'Camp raised his voice to comment,

"A finer crew I have never seen, Sir. Nortania and I thank you for giving them such a prestigious escort, I'm sure their duties here will more than live up to the honor you have done them. Your chosen flagship is truly a tribute to the Primus' stature." Jarrad's mind had been racing to concoct an official statement up until his former First Officer had begun speaking. The other man's words gave him his lead _Ahh, equal parts bombast and sincerity is called for _and he knew exactly what he wanted to say,

"This station is a credit to the traditions of your Nortanian hosts and we thank them for the gracious hospitality they have extended to us. The crew has honored us with the respect they have shown for our differences and their efficiency has left us impressed as well as humbled. I took the liberty of a tour of your new Flagship while _en route_ and if I did not have my own Command I would likely be ordering a transfer for myself." O'Camp's eyebrow twitched as he tried to figure if his guest was pulling his leg or not. Jarrad winced inwardly as O'Camp commented in his usual _awkward_ humor,

"After that long flight, your crew's arms must be quite tired. They should be about due for a rest; right?" They shared the obligatory laugh and the rest joined in for a few moments of levity. Which was good as it took Jarrad that long to figure out exactly what O'Camp meant. Jarrad turned slightly and said,

"You heard the man, _order arms, at ease_." As Jarrad turned back, he heard someone whisper "Oh is _that_ what he meant!" and smiled inwardly _at least I'm not alone in feeling confused by that_.

"If you will please follow us to the Conference Room, we have some official business to attend to." Hersh announced as he swept an arm toward the door in question. Striding to their mutual destination Jarrad inquired of O'Camp,

"Why don't you have Pr'gn join us? I wouldn't mind getting to see him again."

"Unfortunately he's quite busy taking care of business at _Miracle Works_. He does send his regards though."

"He's back at the ASLAN SHIPYARDS already? That's an awfully long way to transport…"

"I don't understand. Transport from where? He's been on his '_little asteroid_' since he moved the Business Office out of the Capital City 6 months ago at Primus Larrgn-Z's request."

"Well I just saw someone who looked and sounded a lot like him in your office before you came out."

"Oh that. That was a Holo-com. I let him know you were here and he forwards his regards." Jarrad was about to reply when they arrived at the Conference Room's door and were all ushered in. There were only two empty chairs left and Hersh gestured for Jarrad to take the one that was left open after O'Camp seated himself. O'Camp spoke to greet all the newcomers lined along the wall,

"I want to welcome you all to _OUTPOST NORTANIA_. Due to planetary custom, there is no visitation to Nortania unless special provision is made and then you are only allowed in certain areas. To our visitors from the _LARRGN-Z_, I make full allowance of the hospitality of this facility available to you at the discretion of your Captain. I have diverted a hospitality fund of roughly 300 units per person in my name to be used at your discretion. Please remember that I have a high moral standard and I request that if you want to partake of any type of excess please do so in your own name and not mine. That said, I'd like to formally thank those who are transferring in to postings here at the Outpost. I'd like to think that we've made a working environment here that is unique in all the Alliance and I think you will find it as much a challenge as a pleasure. The crew of the _LARRGN-Z_ is excused and Commodore Hersh will escort you in a brief tour of the amenities. Those who have transferred in will wait in here and get to know some of the current Department Heads who are currently seated until you are called to my office. That is all." McCollin began to follow along with his former crew but changed his mind when O'Camp extended an offer to observe the transfers. Once in O'Camp's office, Jarrad commented,

"I see you got rid of the beard again and have let your hair grow out."

"Long, flowing hair is the same kind of symbol to a Nortanian as facial hair is to a Klingon or Drakmärian. Nortanians also don't have facial hair for the most part, although some do. Its like baldness in a human. As long as it doesn't cover my Chi'La sash I should be fine though." The Irishman winked at Jarrad in reply. Jarrad glanced out the window for a minute at the light reddish glow that permeated everything and remarked,

"I'll bet that you find the denseness and proximity of the Shadowlands to be a blessing against the Jerichans." McCollin piped in at this,

"Not to mention that it has left you in demand as the foremost authority on the Shadowlands and their penetration in the Alliance." O'Camp shrugged and smiled ingratiatingly,

"In all humility, Hersh has _far_ more experience from going out on short-range patrols with the Militia. But you _are_ correct in that I'm more familiar with the Operations and Theory of the subject since I Administer the Shadowcat Project. It is also nice to be in demand because of the experience I've gained. The Jerichans can actually get through but it would take a lot of _luck and patience_. Since _those two emotions aren't part of their psyche_, we've yet to have an incursion which is a Godsend." McCollin chuckled in reply,

"Pfft, fine! Try and compliment a guy…" A chime on O'Camp's INTERCOM was followed by an announcement by Hersh that the first transferee was waiting. O'Camp acknowledged and the three turned to face the door. The first two out of the series of groups were Ensign Yve Templeton and Lieutenant Junior Grade Kylara Ramoth. Templeton seemed a little off-balance and O'Camp asked if she was feeling well. Ramoth replied in her usual loud manner,

"The ambient resonance of the Outpost is unique and her EAR is having some trouble calibrating. I thought I could do it remotely with my tricorder but my efforts nearly made her dizzy." O'Camp turned to McCollin and asked,

"Ox, I recall you saying you got the setting figured out for those things over at Lunär right after you got your Ambassador." McCollin winced at the memory and replied,

"Oh how I remember that. It took me three days to get it just right. In the meantime, our Ambassador was getting vertigo so bad he stayed in a berth aboard a freighter in for repairs unless he was needed for official duties. He could only stay aboard the Starbase for about 4 hours at a time even with anti-vertigo meds. Of course, I made the mistake of trying some adjustments just before he headed back to his temporary quarters. I wound up wearing that mistake so don't worry about being nervous about my modifications as after that experience it can't get any worse!" O'Camp, who had studied some _ETUManual_ Sign Language, made the appropriate gestures to translate what the Engineer had spoken. Templeton handed over the device that was worn as a pair of spectacles and began rapidly looking from face to face not wanting to miss anything that was going on. Jarrad, ever the diplomat, waited until her eyes rested on his face to address her,

"We will wait until you are ready before we continue with the meeting." She nodded after pausing to absorb what she had read on his lips. Meanwhile, McCollin had busied himself with the unique piece of technology and after several minutes succeeded in fine-tuning the wearable Heads-Up Display. He handed it back and she slid it on. She then said,

"Testing, testing, testing…ooohh; much better! Back to normal now." O'Camp slid 2 PADDs to the edge of his desk, each in the respective direction of the destined officer. As they picked them up he announced,

"Statement to be added to the record. The files for the officers in question are to be amended as follows. Templeton is to be transferred in to hold the posting of Chief of Staff to now include the duties of the Office of Dockmaster. Since she is not a Nortanian citizen, she will not hold the position of Dock Officer itself rather she will maintain Operational Master duties. Are there any questions?" She shook her head. Her job duties were to run the Dock area and work with the Dockmaster to assist him in his duties. He was to be the Official Greeter and _face of Nortania_ to all guests while getting any basic information they needed by performing general Customer Service. O'Camp continued,

"Ramoth as former Chief of Staff is hereby transferred to Chief of Operations. Included in your orders are the specifications on the _ARCHANGEL_. Please familiarize yourself with them as you are part of the Command Staff of that vessel as well. Both of you are receiving a single-grade promotion in accordance with your new positions. Any questions?" She replied that she had none as well and O'Camp dismissed them both. Right as they both hit the door, the females turned and waved and smiled at O'Camp. After the office doors had closed behind them Jarrad gave O'Camp a knowing look along with a _thumbs-up_ and said,

"Way to go Admiral _Studmeister_!" McCollin added slyly,

"Now that our boy is no longer head of the Chaplaincy, we get to see his _true colors_ come out! I knew you were resourceful but that is something to be admired!" Jarrad and McCollin high-fived each other. O'Camp threw his hands up in exasperation, sighed and responded,

"I will have you two know that while Ky and I are good friends and quite comfortable working together that is all that relationship will ever amount to. Besides, she is interested in someone on Pr'gn's staff and will soon taking an extended Leave Of Absence to work with him. Yve, on the other hand, I just might have an ulterior motive for transferring her out here. After all, she has garnered high recognition for her work in her field and I'd be a fool not to consider having her working here." The two others paused for a few moments and looked at each other as if deciding if they were going to accept this explanation or not. They broke the silence by chorusing,

"**_RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT_**!" They both then began to roar with laughter. O'Camp looked up at the ceiling and muttered something to himself as if _entreating for divine mercy_. The rest of the transferee interviews went smoothly and lasted less than two hours. The final group had six people in it. One of which was Wallace Vine, leader of the legendary '_Angry Angels_' Company. They had won more awards during the course of the war than any other unit or ship. Deservedly so, as they had done more to further the cause of the Alliance by breaking the back of the Jerichan advance on numerous occasions. The Company itself was the first to integrate members of the Royal Rangers into its ranks with success. Several members of the Company actually went on to train with the Royal Rangers and even stayed after being indoctrinated into their unique service. But not Vine. The '_Angry Angels_' was currently the only platoon whose leader was a _Member in Honored Standing_, their equivalent of _Active Duty_, in the élite group. O'Camp actually stood up and came around his desk to greet the man by saying,

"Ranger Vine, it is good to see you again." '_The Wall_', as he was often referred to by all whose respect he'd earned, smiled broadly and replied with a succinct "**_SIR_**" before he took his position in front of the desk. All the brass present greeted Vine as well fully knowing that his boyish grin was beguilingly disarming. He had led his team to their reputation of being beyond dangerous. The Primus himself had once confided to Jarrad that if his _Blood Sash of Sh'kr_ were to ever be awarded to a non-Drakmärian, Vine would certainly qualify. Larrgn-Z knew that he could best Vine in _hand-to-hand combat_ but he was sure the human could easily give him a very good run of the battle and that actually gave him some small pause around the man. Larr had also informed Jarrad that his future First Officer Leenah would likely be the first female to ever earn the coveted _Blood Sash_ but just for fun he'd like to see the two fight over it to see who would win. His nickname of '_The Wall_' wasn't just a play on his first name, it was also out of respect for his build and demeanor. O'Camp began,

"Vine all of us here have the highest regard for the work you have done in your present position but even you have admitted that your career needs to progress which is why I've had you transferred here. You are the current Striker Contingent Supervisor which makes you _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s Chief of Security. The gentleman next to you is Major Paul Nhod of the Nortanian Militia. As part or our _accommodations_ with our host Government, the Militia Commandant is _also_ the Commandant of the Strikers as well. Your men will now come under the direct authority of Nhod and you will act as intermediary between the population and Samson, seated behind the Major, who is now placed as Tactical Officer. In spite of the fact that you disdain promotions, all the brass here is of the opinion that your record reflects the highest tradition of the Officer's program and I hereby commission you as Lieutenant. I trust that you will have the appropriate conversations with your men about the changes to the Chain of Command?" The last was reflecting that O'Camp noted the frown on the face of one of Vine's Squad Leaders as he glanced from his _old_ Commander to his _new_ one. Vine stated without hesitation,

"No need Sir as the men who have served under my Command all know their place. Since you deem it necessary as an Official Duty, consider it _done_." Looking past Vine at the expression on the officer's face behind him, O'Camp knew full well what was next and steeled himself for what was to come next as he asked,

"That is all. Any questions?" Without waiting to be recognized, the obviously perturbed Lieutenant Junior Grade seated behind Vine demanded,

"With all due respect, I have one! If this man is taking my job as Chief of Security, where does that leave me!" O'Camp answered smoothly,

"Lieutenant, I will be more that happy to answer that once this session has come to a conclusion…" The officer interrupted him,

"I used to have a Command of my own and I know that if I'm being _demoted_, I have a right to a hearing…" This time it was O'Camp's turn to interrupt and the Irishman's temper was beginning to flare,

"Fine then. Both Grand Admirals here are sector Judge Advocates. You are seated among your peers who can act as impartial witnesses. As Regional Command Extension authority I can act as Accuser and I have just called my one witness Commodore Hersh. Since Hersh is also a member of the reigning Royal family, I am sure that Major Nhod will recognize that a _Two-Witness Quorum_ is present for Nortania to recognize this as a Convening Legal Authority? Good, then now that Hersh has arrived I call this hearing to order in accordance with _Universal Mandate 15_. Does this satisfy your desire for a hearing? If so, the chair does hereby recognize Lieutenant Junior Grade Robert Easton, current posting Chief of Security aboard the _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ facility. Rank and posting status to be determined by the outcome of this hearing. Please proceed."

"For the record, I demand to know why I'm being removed from my current leadership position. I've served the Star Corps faithfully for many years now. My service record reflects that despite a difference of command style that led to my duties being radically altered about five years ago, I've had an unblemished record. I would really like to know what of my official duties is cause of concern?" The man took a breath and was about to continue but O'Camp would have none of it. The _pro tempore_ Accuser took the pause and ran with it by addressing Hersh,

"Hersh, as Auditor Intendant for this hearing do you wish to rebut?" It was obvious that Hersh had just gone off-duty after giving his tour as he was in his traditional garb. Being a member of the Royal family, he was an honorary member of the Senior Advisorship for the Nortanian Militia Armada and as such was entitled to wear their uniform. The only difference from the standard uniform was that his rank disc bore the image of a Fist-blade with a Raylee Bird on the blade. Most Advisers didn't have the second Militia rank disc but Hersh employed one as way to display his Star Corps rank. Hersh rose and replied,

"If it please the Assembly, I seek only to address the peers to establish the credibility of rhetoric already on record."

"With the concurrence of Advocates present, proceed with affirmation." Came Jarrad's reply. Under the two Judge system, this meant that Jarrad accepted the position as Advocate Crier and diverted final determination to McCollin's authority. Given Jarrad's history with Easton, The Admiral's tactic was quite shrewd. Hersh continued,

"Following the incident on Drakmär IV, you did fairly well in climbing the ranks in the Security field. When you put in for the position of Assistant Team Leader here, it was actually on my recommendation that you got selected. Your Administrative skills and attention to detail are above the norm. Unfortunately, your _leadership_ skills leave a _lot_ to be desired. You demonstrate little to no problem-solving capacity and the Auditor we brought in last year noted a strong thread of politicking and corruption in your ranks. Twelve officers that should have been promoted never were and their evaluations were negatively and unfairly skewed to facilitate this. Eight officers who have had complaints which should have led to charges being pressed were not only never followed up on, but were even promoted subsequently. Morale in Security is at an all-time low and we actually were recommended by the Auditor to transfer you to a unit where your skills could be better utilized but not have you in a position of authority." Hersh sat down next to his superior's desk and O'Camp gestured to Easton saying,

"The _accused_ now has the floor."

"I know from my personal history with Grand Admiral Jarrad that just because someone makes a mistake in judgment does not mean that you destroy their career. I do my best to reflect that in my Command decisions where my staff is concerned." Hersh responded to this by saying,

"As the evidence in this hearing indicates, one of those that you promoted was involved in an illegal scam that not only bilked others out of millions but discredited the names of several prominent businessmen that he hid behind. I know you said that you fined him but you seem to have an unusual way of fining nearly everyone for any infraction on this Facility. The Auditor noted that he couldn't find anyone willing to discuss the terms of their fine and they were quite hesitant to talk with him at all about you or your _inner circle_ of guards. We cannot find anything that you have done that is illegal, but the circumstantial evidence has led us to desire to move you to a place where you can be more closely monitored." Easton glared at Hersh for a few moments as if contemplating his next statement. His eyes narrowed and he turned his head to look at O'Camp and said,

"I think I know now what is going on here. This is being done to silence a voice of dissent. I know about the two Capital Ships being sent covertly to the area of the Inner Colonies. I suspected that there was more to it than just routine patrol after the first series of reports came to this facility and mostly were concerned with station keeping. I then found that all reporting from the _TALON_ to the Federation _STARBASE MacLEOD_ had ceased about that time. Given the Admiral's intelligence background, I think I may have ruined a plan to keep the Federation in the dark about the progress of our conflict by blockading the _MacLEOD_ Facility." While the accused expressed his theory, McCollin whispered something to Jarrad who nodded. Jarrad then stood to inform the hearing,

"For the record, the _TALON_ is taking part in a series of joint Shadowland probes to try to help track Jerichan incursions. Those two 'cap-ships' were actually dispatched to Rileus to protect the progress on some technology that is being developed there to be delivered to _ASLAN SHIPYARDS_. Occasionally one of them does make a quiet supply run to _MacLEOD_ at Starfleet request. Currently the Federation's resources in our war are being focused on developing the new Flagship and we helped to outfit their new sector flagship _VALIANT_ with some of our technology in exchange. Expressing outrageous _conspiracy theories_ has nothing to do with the matter at hand and does not reflect on the caliber of officer that we want representing the Star Corps to our host government. Is there anything further?" O'Camp answered,

"The Accuser does hereby predicate its position and renders authority to Judge Advocate to render whatever decision it deems appropriate." Easton frowned and turned to face McCollin while saying,

"It would seem the determination has already been made so I'll have to live with what you announce." McCollin asked of the _peer witnesses_ if there were any questions they would like to ask of either party and there were none. He then announced,

"While I am not fully convinced that a suitable case has been made for demotion based on the evidence presented, I do however concur that the officer's deportment is not consistent of someone who would hold his status. Let the record reflect that it is the determination of this convening authority that he be transferred to Drakmär IV for further evaluation. Does the officer's Commander in Chief wish to add anything to the record?" Jarrad stood and announced,

"Indeed I do. When you first transferred out here I had high hopes that this would be the catalyst to get a promising career back on track. I see now that I was mistaken. You are still making the bad judgment calls on behalf of those under your command that led to my disciplining you before. You will maintain your rank, although I feel that you don't deserve it, and will be posted into an Administrative Support position under my command. Since the court has opted not to punish you, I am bound by that decision as well. But I will institute a 5-year probation over you during which time you will be audited on a weekly basis and your rank will be frozen as well." O'Camp then turned to Hersh and requested,

"Does the representative of the Nortanian people wish to make a statement for the record in reference to the determination of these proceedings?" Nhod murmured something to Hersh in Nortanian and the Human stood and faced Easton,

"The Nortanians appreciate an efficient person. Which is why I gave you every chance possible despite Jarrad's reservations. With the increasing hostilities of our conflict with the Jerichans, I am quite overwhelmed with my duties within the Directorate of Alliance Security. I was seriously considering offering you the position of being my Aide which would have given you an office on the planetary _NORTANIA PROJECT_ and placed you under my direct supervision. Major Nhod and I were hoping that working with him would help you cultivate some Leadership skills. Unfortunately he doesn't want to be burdened with your lack of discipline and integrity and I honestly don't blame him as this is viewed as a weakness by the Nortanians. Perhaps working with the Drakmärians again will help you gain some self-respect. Had you demonstrated some self-restraint at the outset of this meeting, you may have realized that the transfer was likely to mean a promotion. As the Major just told me: the only thing this hearing proved is that you are your own worst enemy!" Easton admitted Hersh was right by slumping his shoulders in defeat. The hearing was closed and all were dismissed. Jarrad addressed O'Camp,

"Well _that_ was different! I haven't acted in that office since the Primus' father's assassination. I admit that you caught me by surprise with that transfer but your reasoning was solid. Speaking of changes, I'd like to offer you the position of Star Corps Vice-Commandant." O'Camp replied,

"Not a problem, although I thought that should go to Ox since he outranks me? I mean he held the position in honoraria after Vitro's death." McCollin answered,

"Yes it does and I still do. The problem is that you have always been better at Ops than I and I'm so busy with the AEC duties that it is too much for me to handle." O'Camp smiled,

"Since I'm likely up for promotion to regular Admiral at the next boards, it sounds like a plan. Perhaps this can get me nudged to High Admiral?" Jarrad shared his laugh. It had been a running private joke between O'Camp and Jarrad in the early days of the Alliance's Independence about O'Camp wanting Jarrad to demote him. Jarrad shrugged,

"We'll see…" O'Camp didn't see Jarrad toss McCollin a knowing look as Hersh made an announcement,

"My father has made a request for everyone to attend a state dinner tomorrow afternoon. This will be followed by a Holo-opera entitled '_Memoriam_' about the fall of the _TANELORN-A_. It will take place at 1500 at the Capitol City." All three nodded assent. O'Camp mentioned that he wanted to go get better acquainted with his new officers, to which McCollin smirked as to which of them he wanted to get better acquainted with in particular. O'Camp bluntly asked him if he wanted to find out and McCollin shrugged and replied that he would. As they were about to leave the C&C deck to enter the lift, O'Camp turned to Jarrad and mentioned,

"The King informed me that since you are on a late honeymoon to grant you access to the Royal quarters for your stay here so you may want to stop there since I'm sure Lieutenant Jarrad is already there." Jarrad nodded and Hersh tapped a code into the lift's control panel. It was odd, the panel was a flat display that simply hovered in front of the door. Like all things on Nortania, holograms dominated as Nortania was the foremost developer of the technology. The really odd part was that Hersh tapped an invisible code into a blank part of the display and seconds later the lift stopped at what seemed to be between levels. The doors slid open and Jarrad and Hersh stepped out. Hersh explained,

"You remember how I taught you to spell your name using Nortanian _Tap Code_ years ago? Well tap your name out _backward_ on a blank section of the image to get out here." Jarrad nodded and several minutes later, they had cleared the Security Area and entered the expansive suite. The computer informed them that Scout was currently aboard the _ARCHANGEL_ and a request determined that she would still be there for another 3 hours as the system integration was underway and would likely take at least another day. Hersh showed Jarrad all the amenities which left the Grand Admiral dutifully impressed by the grandeur of it all. Hersh placed a quick call and then reported,

"You weren't expected to arrive until your wife got off shift. A Mystic Warrior has been assigned to you as your personal aide. His name is Tomhos Epasis and he should be arriving here with human specific supplies in about another hour. I've got an idea, you want to play some Grav-ball?" Jarrad smiled and nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't played it since the first week after the _TANELORN-A_'s destruction. He'd returned to Drakmär IV aboard the Royal Paladin _MECRAY Serpent_ along with Hersh, who was on official business, and stayed at the Nortanian embassy for nearly a month while permanent quarters were constructed befitting someone of his office. By _coincidence_, Hersh's duties concluded only a couple days after Jarrad moved out. Hersh pulled back his sleeve to expose his Datalink and Jarrad found himself enveloped in a transporter beam. On conclusion of the cycle, Jarrad was about to ask something when he took his first breath. The air tasted very different, almost sweet. Hersh leaned toward him and asked conspiratorially,

"I take it you've never been to _NORTANIA PROJECT_?" Confused, Jarrad asked,

"But that's on the…planet…I…thought… that…access…to……the……planet… …was……restric………" He let his voice trail off as if asking the question were taboo. Hersh answered nonchalantly,

"It is restricted since Nortania is legally by native edict a _closed_ planet. But the Outpost is an Alliance facility serving Nortania and the Project is a Nortanian facility serving the Alliance, technically since we are Alliance personnel, we can get around this grey area. Besides, you're a guest of the Royal Prince and _membership has it's privileges_." They had beamed down to an area just outside the entrance to the Grav-ball arena and now they entered. None of the Security Guards challenged them. In fact, most saluted and were more than enthusiastic about assisting them with getting setup. Jarrad as it turned out had gained a few pounds since the last time he'd played and now had to wear a size 6 safety harness. Both Nortanians who were helping him politely commented that it was obvious that he likely preferred his wife's cooking to his own and that his weight gain was a compliment to her. Ten minutes later, the two Alliance officers were in a private '_Lane_' working up a sweat. The floor and ceiling were 5 feet wide and flat. The walls were angled at 45˚ and met at the middle in a 90˚ angle outward. Every 3 feet of the wall was a separate panel above and below the centerline. Each panel glowed either dark or light with the dark being negative gravity and the reverse for the other. Depending on the player's level of expertise, the panels switched colors according to a preset program. The harness was employed due to the sometimes erratic nature of the gravity fields. It was simply a kinetic-energy deflection field generator. It had originally been designed for use in protecting against Bolt-rifles, but was discovered to be effective for this purpose as well. Hersh had last played a few days ago and quickly took the lead. Jarrad found that it was like falling off a scooter and quickly re-acclimated himself. Jarrad remembered that he preferred to stay on the low gravity fields and hop from panel to panel as he played. Hersh, on the other hand, kept to the middle and used his paddle to deflect the ball towards the different panels depending on which results he desired. The ball was made out of a kinetically sensitive material and the speed and direction was affected by the gravity field it passed near. The two players faced other and tried to get the ball to hit the wall behind their opponent while preventing their opponent from hitting the wall behind them. The problem was also that the target's size and location was not stationary. At the beginning of the match, hitting a centralized circle one meter across was relatively easy. Later in the match, hitting a 1 cm target that was floating in one of the corners at a speed of 1 meter every 5 seconds was more difficult. Even more problematic was that the target's speed, direction, and size mobility was directly affected by the ball. The player had some indirect control over the target by bouncing the ball off one of the grav-panels. Hersh had never played this game too seriously as it was considered too _barbaric_ for members of the Royal family to sweat or compete on a personal level. Competing was fine as long as you did it as part of a team and the same, by extension, could then be said for sweating. Jarrad _had_ competed in a Tournament and had actually made it into the top 15 until the Championship match had begun. At that level, even the floor panels were grav-enabled. To top that off the panels were no longer color-coded. After the first round, which dropped Jarrad 3 places to be at 15, the players were all blindfolded. Following this, Jarrad's ranking was abruptly affected adversely. By the time the competition was concluded, he wound up at 32nd place. The rank would have been even lower but a couple of the players he competed against dropped out after their limbs connected with his paddle a little too hard. During this game they were nearly evenly matched. Jarrad's skill combined with lack of practice was about even with Hersh's more recent and consistent playing for fun. This was reflected in their conversation as Hersh teased his opponent who dove and swung at the ball right as the adjacent panel switched, altering his angle of deflection radically. Instead of setting up the perfect shot, the ball bounced toward the '_heavy_' plate which then sent it directly to Hersh. This led Hersh to quip,

"I though you said you were good at this?" Jarrad groaned and Hersh throatily chuckled as he reversed his grip on the paddle to set up his shot. The shot was good and the ball went straight for the target, unfortunately the energy of the motion gave the ball just enough spin that it only grazed the outer edge of the circle. As the target expanded and contracted, so did the thickness of the target's edge and the dot at the center of the target. At the target's smallest of 1 cm, the edge was 5 cm thick and the dot was 1 mm. At its largest of 1 meter, the edge was 1mm thick with the dot being 5 cm across. The 1 mm was just for visual effect as below 1 cm, non primary sections of the target were irrelevant to scoring. The edge that Hersh tagged deducted 1 point from Jarrad's score, the target itself was good for 1 point and the centerpoint did both, which would change the margin of the players by two points. Neither one had succeeded at hitting the center during this match although both had tried and come close several times. Jarrad rolled with the flow of the gravity field exchange and nimbly leapt across the center line which ran the length of the lane. Since Hersh had scored, he was allowed a follow-up. Jarrad could interfere, but he had to do so from the side opposite where either the ball or player last hit a grav-panel. He landed on a '_light_' panel and pushed off hard. His wife's high-gravity genes had led her to train him to maneuver in a low-gravity environment. He spotted his destination in the corner of his eye and somersaulted to do a foot plant on a '_heavy_' panel above the previous panel and halfway between where he had been and where Hersh was. The panels were only 1/2 g, but it was enough to hold Jarrad there long enough to intercept the ball. According to rules, he couldn't swing, he could only hold the paddle in a position to deflect its trajectory. Since he succeeded in an awkward over-the-shoulder maneuver, Hersh could not touch the ball with his paddle again until _after_ it had hit a grav-panel. Jarrad was also not allowed to score in this fashion. Hersh jumped to the nearest '_light_' panel and did a very acrobatic back-flip in a valiant but vain attempt to keep the ball out of his territory. From a height of 1 meter, Hersh intercepted the ball with his paddle and sent it straight toward a '_heavy_' panel. The line of the ball was perfectly perpendicular with the face of the panel and its '_heavy_' mode increased the speed of the ball. Hersh didn't even have time to react, and even though he was just finishing his flip which left him still on the move, the ball bounced off the panel straight back to re-connect with his paddle. Jarrad was just landing as he heard the dribble and was in the process of turning around when he saw the ball coming straight for his head! Knowing that even with the safety harness on people had been knocked senseless by the ball, Jarrad ducked to one side while whipping his paddle around in a backhand smash to intercept the ball. It connected. The force of the ball hitting the paddle turned Jarrad partway around and he spun with the impact to face Hersh. Hersh was just recovering from a _not_ so acrobatic landing from the flip since the '_dribble_' had startled him and thrown off his pacing. He was currently in a crouch and just beginning to look up when he saw the ball coming right at him. Without thinking, his Mystic Warrior training kicked in and he instinctively kicked his legs out from under him. Too close. They both heard the chime of a score but Jarrad wasn't sure if Hersh had been hit or not and so trotted over while asking,

"Toné, are you okay! Sometimes I _am_ a little too good for my own good…I'm really sorry." Jarrad noticed as he got close that his friend's body was shaking. Hersh had his hands on his face and mumbled,

"I'm fine." Jarrad knelt next to his friend and began to lighten the mood by saying,

"I'll tell you one thing…" Hersh pulled his hands away from his face and chorused the next few words with Jarrad,

"**_YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE WHEN THAT HAPPENED_**!" Both of them disintegrated into laughter.

* * *

Jarrad awoke the next morning refreshed but sore. He and Scout had concurred that they'd been glad they'd decided to take this opportunity for a honeymoon on Nortania. Neither had slept on a finer bed. Jarrad opened his eyes to see his wife toweling her hair dry while wearing a purple robe that bore the symbol of the Royal House, an embossed platinum equilateral crucifix within a circle. A less prominent version of which served as the symbol of Nortania for the military. Once his eyes focused, Jarrad asked, 

"They actually have water in their showers?" Scout replied softly,

"That they do honey. I even checked with my tricorder and its not the recycled hydrogen-dioxide kind, this is fresh." Jarrad gave her a knowing wink and replied,

"Never knew this place could be so accommodating. You know, a funny thought just occurred to me." He smiled broadly at her and she kissed him while saying,

"Me too. Risa's reputation of being the _pleasure planet_ is in serious jeopardy!" They snuggled for a few minutes and then made their way over to the suite's observation port as the sun rose over the horizon of the planet below. Jarrad sighed,

"If we didn't have that state dinner this afternoon, I could stand here holding you all day watching the planet float along." Scout murmured assent and commented,

"Speaking of food, you may want to meet Epasis and let him know if you want anything to eat." Jarrad admitted he was getting hungry and excused himself. Upon entering the living area of the suite, a powerfully built yet dignified man wearing a purple uniform with gold sash greeted him,

"Greetings Admiral Jarrad. I am Warrior Epasis, how can I serve your needs?"

"I just wanted to get some breakfast to hold me over until this afternoon. What is available that is on the human side of the palate?"

"I have made available a complete menu of whatever delicacies you should desire. One apology I must make however, is that some of your native ancestral spices have no Nortanian equivalent. I have spent much of the past several hours studying the cuisine of the Great Lakes region of the North-Central United States to anticipate the desires of your Cherokee palate."

"Oh don't concern yourself with my culture's foods, they give me gas anyway." Jarrad caught the briefest hint of a bemused expression slip through Epasis' stoic demeanor, "What about human food do you find the most interesting to try? Well tell you what, grab me something out of the breakfast line of foods and surprise me…By the way, I want to apologize for not introducing myself last night as I was a little distracted."

"Not at all Admiral. I understand perfectly as I was informed that you were on your honeymoon and I can see from the way you are moving that may have overexerted yourself recently."

"Please call me _Dart_, which is short for my given name of Dartanion, while I'm not in uniform. You are right about the overexertion, I played Grav-ball against Commodore Hersh last night and found that I'm a little too out of practice for my own good."

"Of course sir…Dart. I shall be back in a few minutes while I prepare the meal." Jarrad watched as the other man walked _past_ the replicator through a nondescript door near the entrance. Right as Epasis hit the door Jarrad inquired,

"A few minutes? I thought you had everything prepared ahead of time from what you were just saying."

"Not at all Dart, everything is prepared from scratch at the time of request." With that he disappeared through the door and Jarrad seated himself at the couch. Jarrad realized with this recent interchange that he was getting a _little too good at bluffing_ as everyone was beginning to _suspect an ulterior meaning to everything_ he said. Out loud he commented,

"Honestly I am a little sore from that round of Grav-ball." A female voice came from out of nowhere and announced,

"_Activating massage therapy session_." Jarrad found himself wrapped in an exhilarating glowing pulsing field. Instantly, major muscle groups felt as though they were tight fists that were opening up. What felt like 10 seconds but was closer to 10 minutes, Epasis returned carrying a plate that he set on the low table before Jarrad. Scout slid onto the couch next to her husband as the meal was set before them. The field around Jarrad disappeared like a whisper caught in the wind as Epasis pointed out each item. There were scrambled sweet eggs with a hint of rose cinnamon, organic waffles, the batter of which was made from the yeast-like rind of an exotic melon, this was topped with a gravy sauce that was made from the oil that was produced by the extraction process which refined the rose cinnamon. To drink they were given a traditional Nortanian drink, a pulped fruit concentrate that was high in vitamins, minerals and protein—the difference was that this one was made with Drakmärian ingredients. Jarrad winced as he'd had '_nutritional drinks_' before and they almost always made him gag. He was actually hoping a bad reaction might get him something more tame when he took a swallow. It wasn't bad. It was still a little on the strong side for his taste, but the combination actually went down fairly smooth. He half expected the entrées to taste the same way—floral. There too, he was pleasantly surprised. It did have a slight floral accent but the eggs were light and fluffy and practically melted in his mouth leaving the floral hint almost a sweet aftertaste. The waffles on the other hand, had a full, rich taste to them that was almost spicy-sweet. The Jarrads ate heartily and he easily finished before she did. Scout suggested that he go get a shower and check out the customized controls for the water emitter while she finished. Minutes later, Jarrad was soaking in a shower that was almost heavenly. He had one jet that was focusing a heavy massage on the area of his ribs that had never properly healed after being stabbed during a fight years ago. He'd declined reconstructive surgery since the Medical teams from his ship and then Commander Lois Jade's _NOBLE_ were at their limit. True to Commanding Officer form, he'd pushed his body to the limit so that he could remain in Command during the crisis. He'd accepted a painkiller and a portable regenerator, but by the time they had gotten back to him, the regenerator had completed its cycle and there was no scar tissue with which to work. There was also the fact that he'd ignored Doctor's orders and remained on the move that the healed tissue and sealed bone weren't in the best of shape. Right now he could almost feel every drop of water coursing their energy all the way to his bones. It felt _good_.

* * *

"What do you mean _the Core Personality won't transfer_! The program is installed, just boot it up and we'll _finesse the details_ from there…" O'Camp grumbled his dissatisfaction to the report coming over the comlink. They had gotten the Holo-interface loaded into the _ARCHANGEL_'s artificial intelligence system and that's when the problems had started. The hologram just did an excellent impersonation of a translucent mannequin. Sort of. The _database dump_ had obviously worked since Outpost command code functions were responding, but the computer was still '_acting like a Vulcan_' as Ses had so aptly put it. Ses complied with O'Camp's request while saying, 

"Praise the Lord and prepare to play '_pass the hologram_' once again, Outpost." McCollin could be heard chuckling from Engineering over the open link as Ramoth replied from C&C via the same,

"Commencing boot sequence now. Just to let you know we are getting reports of erratic behavior from the Link-Up system. Since we are only running off the hard-coded backup system during this process, many autonomic functions aren't cycling through the change of duty cycle, they are simply resetting when the codes are changed." O'Camp sighed and said,

"Perhaps trying this method will………" His voice trailed off as the Command Assistant Relay Information Network hologram began to materialize and froze about 10 centimeters or so above the waist. Someone on the comlink exclaimed, "_That's not good!_" and before O'Camp could ask what **_that_** was, the holo-image winked out of existence and the lights dimmed to 50. O'Camp leaned forward and banged his head several times against the Computer Core's Master System Monitor while groaning,

"McCollin report."

"We just lost the active feed from the Outpost we are now independent of them. Odd thing is that my Remote Monitor is showing an exponential _increase_ of processor activity at _your_ location." Ses responded while his fingers danced over the station he shared with O'Camp,

"Correct, the Core System froze and amalgamated a rudimentary interface from the redundancy factors built into the nucleitech packs. That is actually causing a feedback loop as it is trying build an optimized interface from the existing protocol algorithms." An idea popped into O'Camp's head and he requested,

"What if we give it what it's looking for? Ramoth, reinstate transfer."

"As we speak. Uplink will be active again in…" McCollin interrupted,

"NO! _Stop the uplink_! The program is already there but we don't know what parts or how much of the personality is active and it could _logic bomb_ the program when the interface goes active." Ses added,

"Outpost, encrypt the _profile_ and upload it as a single unit rather than the standard _packet bleed_. We need to let it '_give birth_' rather than jigsawing it as it comes over." Ramoth confirmed and they all watched as the file transferred. This time, the whole thing transferred rather than crashing at 60-80. O'Camp requested that the previous power feed be restored. The reactors were all running, but with the computer interface inoperative the power was useless since it didn't know what to do. Now that full power was available, O'Camp requested the new file to self-execute. A moment later, he heard two voices simultaneously,

"_WOW_!" was from Ses.

"_That's odd_……" was from McCollin.

And the lights went dim again.

"Ramoth, what's with that power feed now?" O'Camp demanded. The genetically-engineered female responded,

"Nothing. It's still operational. The drain is at your end." McCollin's voice came over the link,

"We have a little problem here. The 4 non-standard drives just powered down and I'm not getting any feedback from them at all. It's like they don't exist to the System anymore." Ses chimed in,

"Our little tactic sort of worked. Just before the power loss, the hologram activated, turned its head to look at me and blinked before it disappeared." O'Camp slouched in his chair and started to bang the back of his head against the chair since he was starting to get a headache on the front. Ses stood at the end of the terminal looking directly at the Primary Computer Core, which left him facing away from O'Camp at an angle. The Trill was rocking back-and-forth on his heels, hands on his hips, trying to will the computer to work right by giving it the dirtiest look he could muster. While McCollin worked to find out why the Warp Controller System suddenly just simply wasn't there, Ramoth reported,

"According to remote diagnostic, the hardware system and its associated linkages are all fine. ODN trunk and EPS taps are all responding accordingly. If you wish to transfer Command Control authority I can attempt to perform _Conflict Error Resolution_." McCollin replied,

"Negative on that. I'm performing one as we speak but its a waste of time since Coil Drivers aren't responding anyway. Without those drivers, there's no use in trying since I know I won't get a reply anyway." The disappointment and aggravation coming through the link from Engineering was nearly palpable. Suddenly the air in the Computer Core seemed to come to a complete standstill. Ses stopped rocking and O'Camp stopped banging his head simultaneously as a _light bulb_ seemed to go off inside both their heads. They both slowly turned to face each other and, once they had, a small smile crept onto their faces. Ses said,

"Contrary to the manual, we may be doing this backwards. Try _starting cold_ while _reversing startup order_." O'Camp nodded and began issuing orders accordingly,

"Engineering, do a _soft emergency shutdown_ of everything non-critical. Make sure you do _not_ institute _saved boot state conditions_. We want a complete _dry startup_. One other thing, make sure you leave the EPS and ODN systems in Critical Load Mode rather than defaulting them to switch everything into Emergency Mode. Outpost, begin a _power feed_ directly into ship's batteries and continue it until you get capacity feedback. What we are going to do is use the ship's batteries to boot the computer and then put the computer in _diagnostic_ mode as we boot up the systems. Hopefully this will force the computer to see things my way." Citing safety concerns, it actually took McCollin several minutes longer to complete shutdown than it took for the batteries to be charged. O'Camp said a silent prayer before he gave the order for the computer to self-execute the file once again. Within moments, a hologram formed of a rather plain looking human female wearing an undecorated Militia uniform. O'Camp stood up and patted Ses on the shoulder triumphantly. The hologram looked at O'Camp and asked flatly,

"Greetings Admiral O'Camp, how can I be of service?"

"Hello SHAUNA, how are your system functions currently?" 'She' paused for a moment as if thinking and replied,

"_Standard cognitive resources are within normal parameters_. Unfortunately I am unable to determine the status of _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ as there appears to be a communication problem."

"There's no problem. You are currently aboard the Tactical Scout _ARCHANGEL_ in the midst of a system integration. We are currently performing a _conflict resolution_ due to _dissimilar technology integration_. We are going to turn the systems on individually and want you to determine where the problem is since we can't activate you with everything already on. We also tried loading you after booting the computer but it crashes everything."

"Understood. Please proceed." SHAUNA replied matter-of-factly. Over the next 1/2 hour, the project proceeded without a hitch. Some of the new technologies took a little persuading on the part of the officers and the new Drive System had to be recognized by the interface for each individual section which took a little _coaxing_. Ses said that SHAUNA almost reminded him of the Federation's EMH system, to which SHAUNA informed him that the Nortanian MEDIC holo-entity was a more appropriate comparison but thanked him for the observation. By this time, they had finished the installation and had all systems up and running so McCollin had come down the hallway to join them. Upon meeting SHAUNA and interacting with 'her' while they fine-tuned the interface for use on O'Camp's Flagship, McCollin decided to ask if 'she' had a sister or if 'she' was designed after 'her' programmer; if the latter was the case was the programmer single. SHAUNA answered that 'she' was programmed by a team, three of which were currently single but all were males. McCollin panicked and responded to the negative when SHAUNA informed him 'she' could forward his request to meet them. 'She' also informed him that 'she' was not designed after any one particular person, rather a compilation had been made of a dozen submissions by the Forum for the Arts. 'Her' name was actually was the first female-sounding name that could be sensibly made from acronyms that described 'her' function. Each Nortanian ship or facility had a CARIN that had a unique name as an interface between ship and crew. The name was usually a reflection of the ship's name, for example the Grand Paladin _GORZAL Wolf_'s CARIN was named ZALLY from the second half of the first part of the name. Since _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s mission was unique in that it was an Alliance facility and dominated by humans and other Alliance species, the CARIN was given a special position aboard the station. 'She' would not only be the interface and crew assistant but act as a type of '_political yeoman_' as well. The team that had redesigned CARIN had established 'her' as the same species as 'her' commanding officer and also wanted to give 'her' a name that was indigenous to that species. The name had to have a meaning, as in all things Nortanian so the name had to be a Nortanian acronym for 'her' duties. SHAUNA told McCollin what the words were and was about to go into a _philosophical dissertation on the meaning of each word_ when O'Camp stopped 'her' by requesting a _systems check_. 'She' informed him that 'she' could freely interact fully with all functions of the _ARCHANGEL_ and was now capable of acting as Primary Interface. This would require overriding the Command Codes established during construction to allow the computer to act as an independent _free agent_ aboard the vessel. Two members of the Command Staff had to provide consent authorization. Ses, who was temporarily assigned to the _ARCHANGEL_ project for this mission, was in reality assigned to _Spacedock Charles Darwin_ as Chief of Engineering. Ses turned to Admiral McCollin and said smoothly,

"By your leave sir. You are the ranking Engineer aboard." This elicited one of McCollin's trademark 'Pfft, fine!' followed by him identifying himself as Vice Fleet Admiral Micheal Jon McCollin with the duty station of facility Administrator of _STARBASE LUNÄR_ and Divisional Directorate of the Alliance Engineering Corps. He then gave his access code and then looked to O'Camp who acted in kind. O'Camp then authorized SHAUNA to act as Primary Interface, or CARIN, for the _ARCHANGEL_. Once the computer acknowledged receipt of the order, McCollin began to notice subtle changes in 'her' program's behavior. 'Her' actions and responses weren't as _artificial_ as they had been. For example, 'she' began to move as though breathing, he even saw 'her' eyes blink, and acted as though 'she' was thinking by narrowing 'her' eyebrows, pursing 'her' lips, and stroking her chin when O'Camp asked,

"SHAUNA, can you independently poll _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s database?"

"Confirmed, I have complete autonomous remote access to all command functions as well as…" SHAUNA paused and suddenly 'her' uniform morphed into that of a red Star Corps Lieutenant's. McCollin also noted that, along with the uniform, 'she' now had lost the translucency, 'her' hair was longer, wavier, and darker, and 'she' now had actual expression when 'she' smiled at 'her' commanding officer as 'she' continued, "…my sentient personality routines. I assume this is the desired result you were anticipating from your query, Brian?" 'She' winked at him as he nodded. McCollin's jaw nearly hit the floor as he chuckled,

"I think she likes you, bud. I'm telling Ramoth and Templeton!" The new hologram approached McCollin and said softly,

"Of course I like him. It's part of my programming as I understand it. The same way I like you or would interact with anyone who is part of the Command structure." McCollin swallowed hard and adjusted his uniform collar as he replied,

"_Wow_! My kind of woman! Can I have a copy of _this_ program!" 'She' laughed and replied,

"Judging from your personal file I can only assume that your intentions are more honorable than the late Admiral Vitro's when he asked the same question. As much as the thought intrigues me—you know what they say about Engineers—unfortunately I must decline. I am incorporated from the SHAUNA subroutine which is designed to serve O'Camp and his subordinates." O'Camp interjected as a matter of explanation,

"When Zach first took over after Nortania joined the Alliance, this facility was already an Alliance Command Extension under the authority of Toné. Having been raised on Nortania by the ruling family, he already knew all about the culture and what was expected of him in his Command role. Zach, on the other hand, had to rewrite the book in more ways than one. At the time, _STARBASE NORTANIA_ already had a CARIN named ANIA. That didn't stop some minor incidents of confusion from occurring though. Zach's First Officer was one of the few natives assigned to the station at the time and he was literally working overtime even with his enhanced Nortanian metabolism. During the time when Zach pushed himself too hard on the upgrade project and his illness overwhelmed him, the _TANELORN_ paid a visit. Jarrad actually asked the Nortanian government to modify the Facility's charter to allow the First Officer to hold Command for a long-term temporary tour. Since at the time this Facility was operated by the government, such an action would not only violate their Constitution but also the Militia Armada's _Articles of Service_. Anyhow, _PROJECT NORTANIA_ came up with a solution by reprogramming the CARIN with a positronic-level matrix encoding. For comparison, 'she' is more like a Soong-type android than a Zimmerman-type hologram. They are all considered _alive_ and designed to imprint on their crews, but SHAUNA was programmed to also exhibit _higher cognitive function_ and interact on that level. About two years ago, not long after 'she' was redesigned, the _TANELORN-A_ was destroyed. In an effort to save the crew of the Flagship, Zach separated the saucer section and transferred the artificial intelligence entity ALPHA, more commonly known as 'Ziggy' to the section's computer core which pushed it's limits to overload capacity. In order to prevent a cascade logic failure, ALPHA was transferred to the Starbase's computer briefly while a more suitable receptacle could be manufactured. It was during these few hours that the two programs interacted and the '_living intellect_' of ALPHA left its imprint on SHAUNA. 'She' began to display the same core personality traits as 'Ziggy' and started to act independently of the core limitations of 'her' programming. 'She' began to grow. When a profile was done by the Social Sciences department, it was determined that this was _not_ necessarily the same _individual_ as had been programmed into the facility's mainframe. We then assessed 'her' qualifications and, on 'her' recommendation, made 'her' a full Star Corps officer. Being the head of her own department, 'she' was made a Lieutenant Junior Grade and was subsequently promoted. 'She' also _chose_ to be called CARIN due to 'her' function." McCollin turned back to CARIN and smiled,

"Well CARIN, I'm impressed. It is quite the pleasure to meet you. Oh and please call me Mike or MJ. I even let my close friends call me Ox." CARIN actually waved a dismissive hand at him as though embarrassed by his accolade and replied,

"Oh, I was just doing my job. It's not every day that I get to interact with an officer of your status so I'm equally flattered to make your acquaintance Mike." McCollin leaned toward 'her' and smiled,

"Perhaps sometime we can meet as more than just acquaintances, I am a pretty decent guy to spend time with socially."

"Your personality profile suggests as much. I'd like that as I enjoy talking shop with Engineers. Much more fun than Dr. Vitro's idea for playing doctor. He got to find out that a hologram can be much more inventive at practical jokes than even he could." McCollin paused for a moment to see if 'she' were trying to be funny. From O'Camp's expression at some memory he was recalling, the Engineer decided 'she' was not and burst out laughing. Ses spoke up at this,

"Hate to break up your hormone-fest but I want to get CARIN to Engineering so I can perform a full diagnostic on the overall stability."

"Don't have too much fun and if _you should need any help with anything, I'll be around_ so don't hesitate to ask." McCollin winked. Ses waited until CARIN was standing next to him to reply,

"Don't worry about a thing because…_she's with **me**_!" McCollin chuckled and O'Camp gave him a quizzical look. The Engineer gave his old friend a dismissive shrug while making an off-hand comment about _Engineering humor_. Before Ses had a chance to move, O'Camp asked,

"Telnah, in reference to 'Praise the Lord and pass the hologram', was one of your hosts a minister?"

"No sir, but one did serve as Chief of Operations aboard a way-station run by the Federation Missionary Corps." O'Camp nodded approval and Ses departed the room. McCollin shook his head in amazement as CARIN followed suit by walking through the wall adjacent to the door simultaneously with Ses walking past the open door. McCollin mumbled wistfully something about those two being a couple of the most remarkable beings in the Alliance he'd ever met. O'Camp paused for a few moments to savor the moment of stillness. He had a sense of anticipation that would not go away. There was also a sense of dread. He tried to meditate it away but it was not to be. He could hear McCollin's steady breathing several feet away and opened his eyes to see if his fellow Admiral had fallen asleep. He had not. Currently McCollin had a troubled expression on his face coupled with a thousand-yard stare. O'Camp inquired if his friend was feeling well and McCollin answered,

"I'm just thinking about home…" He started to say something else but his voice trailed off and he frowned. O'Camp said,

"I want you to know that it wasn't my idea for Chief to offer me your position as I'm plenty happy where I am."

"Oh I know that. It was my idea for either someone else on the Council to get that position or for Telnah to take over the AEC although his rank doesn't afford that position. At least not yet anyway—hint, hint!" O'Camp laughed and waggled a forefinger at him as if to say '_I get your point_!' and replied,

"I was planning on addressing that with you anyway since Nortania wants to make a couple presentations at the state dinner today. Technically, according to the Articles of Operation for the Star Corps, a member of the Admiralty can appoint a Department Head to act as Adjutant for his Standard Operational Duties when Fleet Administrative responsibilities get too time-consuming. Similar to the Admin Posting Hersh was considering Easton for but this would mean more discretional Responsibilities and Authority. He would be your Chief of Staff and have Power of Attorney."

"Noted. Sounds like a plan. By the way, I thought Toné was up for consideration for a Council position? What happened?"

"Well as you know Admiral Mentok's older brother died so he had to go home to Andoria to take his place as heir to the family business. Hersh _was_ a shoo-in until we had an incident at one of the border worlds while he was on assigned patrol duty with the Armada. His decision was the right one to make but he had inaccurate and incomplete intelligence data when he acted. Unfortunately the world was also one that is involved in the dispute with the Free Republic States. They saw the action as a threat to their autonomy and demanded sanction. Toné admitted that the fault was his and that he overrode the decision of the ship's Commanding Officer to commit the action. Although he'd still do it the same way if he had it to do all over again, he will not be relying on that data source ever again. In response, I recommended against him being promoted to Rear Admiral as a precursor to a Council seat. He concurred with that decision and even suggested that I recommend Commodore Halk'r-C, who does now hold the position, instead."

"I figured there was more to it than scuttlebutt was feeding me. It was getting around that he was being investigated for treason but the Court Martial was buried at the request of his father."

"That's funny! No actually he and his father didn't speak for quite some time due to the damage that was done."

"Speaking of me '_thinking of home_' since I have now made a visit to your Starbase, when are you going to return the favor?" McCollin asked the question to offhandedly change the subject. O'Camp made a pinched expression and frowned,

"As much as I'd like to Ox, I'm not sure that I ever will. As much as I like it here, I don't believe that this is my destiny as…" McCollin cut in at this by teasing,

"By '_destiny_' do you mean that God told you this? I want you to show me exactly where in the Bible it says that—chapter and verse!" O'Camp paused about to tease back when he decided to reply in a different manner. Since McCollin had been in space, it had strained his relationship with his wife who had gone through the roof when their oldest son had expressed a desire to follow in his father's footsteps by joining the Academy. O'Camp asked directly,

"I hear that Cadet Stevie Mac is doing quite well and even demonstrates your aptitude for Engineering. Has this had any affect on your relationship with your wife?" McCollin sighed and his voice went up slightly in pitch as he responded,

"Only for the worse. We been separated for several months now and she's heading back home to the Federation soon. She demanded that if he wanted to stay in the Academy that he change disciplines and he's in the Medical program now…and doing just as well. I'm thinking about what my future plans may hold once my tour of duty is over. The '_chapter and verse_' thing is what my wife's reaction was when Stevie Mac told her his destiny was out among the stars, I meant no offense."

"None taken, you should hear some of the ones that preachers come up with when we're in a group! But as I was saying, I'm the most logical one to take Command of the Spacedock when the _TANELORN-B_ is launched next year. I have a feeling that Chief is going to pull out some stops to sweeten the deal to get me to do it since he knows how fond I am of this plum assignment."

"Yes there's something special about a Facility assignment that just isn't there shipboard. Although the same could be said for the reverse with both of us having served aboard starships at one time. One thing I would ask is that you keep me in prayer."

"Like how would _that_ change my current habits any?" They both shared a laugh at this. But O'Camp knew the seriousness of the request. According to the Chaplaincy's surveys, the war had taken an incredible toll already and there were no signs of any kind of resolution. He concluded the conversation by standing up and saying,

"Well I have some business to take care of in the few hours before the dinner. You are on vacation, so why don't you go visit the health spa on the Outpost? Hersh usually spends at least part of his lunch there and I know that he was wanting to spend some time with you." McCollin nodded and indicated that he thought that would be a good idea by his expression. He stood as well and remarked,

"Sounds like a plan since I've been looking for a reason to catch up with him. Oh, by the way, as Vice-Commandant you get to wear the Grand Admiralty tunic under your dress uniform. Speaking of which, where is the Outpost's replimat? I need to get a dress uniform since mine's back home." O'Camp was suspicious about the _Grand Admiralty tunic_ information as it didn't sound right to him but he passed on the thought as he replied,

"Purple 2; lower-level Concourse sector. Just beam over to one of the two transport/turbolift stations and ask the Attendant at the Customer Service Desk in front of the station for directions. There is also a Earth-style cuisine Diner called the _DINING INN_. If you go in there and ask to speak with the manager, his wife runs the clothier just below that never seems to be open. They will fuss with you and each other but if you barter right, she will make you a uniform in a reasonable amount of time." By now they were in Engineering and McCollin extended his regards as he made his leave to go find the transporter. CARIN told him not to bother as 'she' was, after all, the computer. He soon found himself enveloped in a transporter beam. As he disappeared, he again commented that 'she' was '_his kind of woman_' which got a smile out of the hologram.

* * *

"I trust that you've been enjoying the amenities? I mean I haven't seen you this relaxed since you went to that spa on Haven." O'Camp commented to Jarrad as the latter stepped off the turbolift into C&C. They walked together into O'Camp's office and sat down. Jarrad confessed that he could easily get used to the '_Royal treatment_' and had even come up with some more ideas for the new _TANELORN_. O'Camp smirked, 

"By the time you get done, that ship is going to be so _you_ that you're going to be afraid to let anyone else aboard." This elicited one of Jarrad's infamous mocking guffaws. Jarrad tried to do a knee-slap in conjunction, but due to the dress uniform nearly wound up bowling himself over. He started to lose his balance but recovered nicely in time to plant himself into a chair. O'Camp also found his seat behind his desk, although a bit more gracefully. Jarrad thought for a moment and then confessed,

"I must admit I'm having a bit of trouble getting used to the 28 hour day though. The four 7-hour shifts is really confusing on the internal clock at first. It must have been crazy for you your first few weeks here full-time."

"The additives in the native cuisine modify the partaker's constitution and with my high metabolism, it was only a few days before things settled in. The nice side-affect is that I don't have the problems with my cloned implant eye anymore."

"I'd noticed that I hadn't seen you wearing your eye patch since we got here but thought that you might not wear it on-duty here for some reason. Then again, perhaps you'd gotten it replaced with the new VISOR ocular replacement since I'd heard that Pr'gn had suggested that once." O'Camp frowned and shook his head as though that was an absurd idea. Jarrad shrugged and waved a dismissive hand at the notion. Thinking aloud, Jarrad asked,

"Speaking of my favorite adopted Drakmärian, perhaps we should invite Pr'gn along with us to the dinner?" O'Camp shook his head and reported,

"The guest list has already been established, they are just waiting for me to announce that we are ready to transport so that we can receive authorization. Besides, Pr'gn is not _active duty_ as all the _invited guests_ are and he is quite busy. I've actually left several messages for him to contact you, but Kylara says that she hasn't seen him yet today. She's spends much of her free time over there supervising our interests and will likely be taking an extended leave of absence in a couple months to work with him as preparation to getting their aspects of the _TAN-B_ project to ground in time for the launching." Jarrad sighed and said,

"That's unfortunate as I miss having him around. Acroyer is a fine Engineer but he eschews the _miracle worker_ title which every starship Commander loves to perpetuate. Speaking of perpetuating, I wanted to find out how you are coping with the loss of your Chaplaincy title? It wasn't my idea but I can understand the potential conflict of interest with your Command responsibilities which is why I recommended you as Vice-Commandant to the Council of Elders."

"Live some, learn some, love some, lose some, life goes on… The Chaplaincy lives on under the flag of Archbishop Selva. He and I may not have the same views or vision but the work he's doing and the job he's done is more than acceptable. Speaking of people taking over my seat, how are things aboard my old Command?"

"The _SHROUD_ is still on Shadowland penetration patrol with the _CHI'LA_ under the Command of Fleet Captain Richard Straker. '_Blaze_' is giving the Jerichans a run for the money and has actually developed a strategy for using the Shadowlands for our defense in combo with the Striker-Scouts."

"Yes he told me about that. I'd never actually met the man until he sent me the communiqué about his plan. It was different seeing someone whose hair was so _red_ I almost replied if it was natural. I informed him that it would be impractical to just use a Task Force made up of those vessels. He told me that he would consider it when I asked him if he wanted to be transferred to Fleet Command and take over a Battlegroup."

"That was my idea as well and I wanted to address it to you before making my recommendations to the Elders. The Primus is equally enthusiastic on both plans."

"More than likely he hasn't been fully briefed on both plans and their complete ramifications?"

"You know, you're right. I just realized that as you said it. I guess that disproves the old adage that to be in intelligence you don't have to _have_…never mind!" His voice trailed off and he laughed as O'Camp gave him a dirty look. Jarrad continued by changing the subject,

"Do you have any plans for your new toy as yet?"

"The one thing I'd love to do is get back to exploring. Unfortunately, despite all her assets, the _ARCHANGEL_ isn't designed for that kind of mission profile. I do, however, have an idea for her first mission which involves showing off for the Nortanians." O'Camp's train of thought was interrupted by the sudden appearance of SHAUNA in the office. The hologram announced,

"Admiral, I wish to inform you that the rest of the attendees are all ready and waiting for your presence to beam to the dinner." O'Camp thanked and dismissed her. While walking to the transgate, He informed his superior that it was perfectly acceptable for a subordinate to inform a visitor of procedural policy in a situation such as this and he would do so to prevent any mistakes. Jarrad indicated that was wise since he had been reading up but some areas were confusing to him. O'Camp took his place at the head of the line and Jarrad did a quick inspection. Right as he finished, Ramoth approached and handed him a data chip while saying,

"I just returned from the shipyards moments ago and ran into Pr'gn as I was leaving. This is a message for you from him and his staff. There are also some databases that need forwarding to the appropriate parties. Are you ready to 'gate sir?" Jarrad indicated the affirmative and she powered up the system. Jarrad led the assembled crew through the portal.

* * *

_PERSONAL LOG OF GRAND FLEET ADMIRAL D.T. JARRAD, JR. One universal constant I have found in my travels is that Governments treat themselves…well, like Royalty (hehe). Nortania is by no means an exception. Although a distinctly unique interpretation, the opulence and grandeur of the Capital City can be readily compared to the majesty of the same on Drakmär IV. Rather than the ostentatious use of red and black, here they use splashes of blue in varying degrees, highlighted in auspicious areas with purple. The feast was nearly beyond compare. The only drawback being that certain natural enzymes can be toxic to humans and administering an __antidote before eating can be a little unnerving. The service was impeccable with a server dedicated to every other diner. I also learned my first Nortanian word—it didn't translate properly for my UT and Epasis was more than happy to explain. In standard, the word would be spelled CH'P and loosely pronounced the equivalent of __CHEP (sort of, since they don't have traditional vowels). It is part of what they refer to as the __Common tongue and has no real solid translation, save for the fact that it is intended to mean '__positive response' or something like that. Similar to the nearly generic way Hawai'ians use __Aloha or Jews use __Shalom, both of which I understand to mean '__peace' and therefore actually have a firm translation. After the meal, I got a message to the King about wanting to take part in the special presentation he was making as a surprise to several of my officers in attendance. He sent back word that he would be delighted. I am very much looking forward to meeting the adopted father of one of my most respected officers. This is an honor and a thrill!_

"Loyal subjects and honored comrades, in closing I have been asked to preside over a Ceremonial function by the Grand Fleet Admiral for whom this feast is in honor. He has asked me to assist in several awards that are to be presented and I'm am honored that our allies would have the grace to dignify our relationship with such esteem. But first, I'd like to make an official presentation to a man whose Commanding Presence is outweighed only by my own. Admiral Jarrad, if you please?" Jarrad stepped up to the lectern as a light ripple of laughter swept through the attendees in response to the King's joke. _I could learn to like this guy_ Jarrad mused as he shook the man's hand and paused while an aide took a holo-scan with an imager when the King held up a small yet ornate box. A couple steps away, O'Camp whispered from just inside earshot,

"Accept it and hand it to me. As your aide, I will open it and show it to you. Then you extend your hands toward the crowd and bow, turn back to the King and salute him then take the gift and close it." Jarrad did all this only a couple beats behind his friend's narration. His pulse quickened as the impact of the gift settled in: _I finally have a Datalink_! Jarrad murmured in response as he dropped his salute,

"This is embarrassing, I was unaware of your intended generosity and I came unprepared." Jarrad began to draw another breath as if to continue and O'Camp interrupted,

"That was a sign of _appreciation_ for a visiting Dignitary, you bringing a gift would have insulted the people's reputation for generosity." The King winked at Jarrad who smiled broadly in response as he closed the box still containing the device. He tucked the box into his uniform's Utility pocket after withdrawing the PADD that was contained therein and noticed that O'Camp was beginning to step back. The King took the PADD and both asked _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s Commanding Officer simultaneously,

"Just _where_ do you think _you're_ going?" the King also added _young man_ to his query. O'Camp stopped short and shrugged, puzzled. The King glanced at the PADD and gave Jarrad a conspiratorial look and a smug grin. Jarrad replied only with look that declared that he was insufferably pleased with himself, folded his arms and took a half-step backward. O'Camp got a look on his face as though he was beginning to realize he'd just been had as the King began by addressing him,

"Grand Fleet Admiral Jarrad has just informed me that you've accepted the position of Vice-Commandant of the Alliance's Star Corps. I congratulate you as if you continue with the same tenacity and dedication to duty that you have demonstrated with our Outpost, the Alliance and her relations with her allies can only grow and prosper. There is only one problem with this that I can see." O'Camp began to get suspicious of what was going on when a stifled chuckle coursed through the ranks of the senior Alliance staff. He caught Jarrad's eye and shot him a dirty look as if he knew what was next. The King continued his soliloquy, "As reigning monarch of an Alliance member-world, I am well versed on applicable law and, as Vice Admiral, you are not in position to be afforded such an honor. So Admiral Jarrad, would you say that our esteemed colleague is _out of uniform_?" Jarrad acknowledged that he would be indeed. O'Camp turned to face him and saw him holding up a dress uniform top, the front of which was facing Jarrad. The King insisted that before he go any further, O'Camp switch out. He did so to a chorus of whistles and catcalls as he removed his shirt. Jarrad made it worse by _scatting_ a strip-tease theme. Once it was on, O'Camp realized it was not replicated but had been finely tailored from Drakmärian spun linen. He started to look down but was stopped by the King continuing his speech, "From what I know, you must hold a seat on the Grand Council and for that you must be at least a Vice _Fleet_ Admiral, which your new uniform would suggest that you are now both. A **_VERY_** shocked O'Camp lost his professional composure for a split second and his eyes snapped to his insignia. Jarrad heard him say,

"Wow! Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus!" Then the thunderous roar of the crowd overwhelmed his musing. Puzzled by the loud '**oooo**' sound, he leaned over to O'Camp who was just beginning to recover and asked,

"Am I missing something? It sounds like they are '_booing_' you!"

"That's funny. No, it's a word in the _Military_ language, it is a concept-word that means '_an honoring action_' and the closest way of spelling it would be T-apostrophe-apostrophe. The way to properly pronounce it is to sharply say the number 2 like you have a lisp, but I usually improvise by saying 'through' without the _r_, same result." O'Camp explained. The cacophony died down and The King was about to end the ceremony when O'Camp asked to make a presentation of his own. The King gestured to the lectern and the new Grand Admiral announced,

"As many of you know, due to the war effort and my official duties relating, I have stepped down from the Senior Chaplaincy position. Following that, it was determined that those who faced combat on a daily basis needed some sort of official hierarchy to the Chaplaincy to establish a _chain of command_ and give some official structure during these perilous times. Every culture has their own High Priest or other functionary that holds the exalted yet humble position of representing their people's interests before their Deity and establishing a Code of Moral Conduct to instruct the people to follow amongst a great many other duties. I have been asked by Archbishop Selva, my replacement, to perform a duty that pleases me to no end. When Nortania joined the Alliance, the Nortanian culture became a unique part of the existing whole and made us all the richer for it. Your beliefs are a standard that many others look to with respect even from those who do not share them. High Priest Loren Clement has been dutiful in maintaining those beliefs and sharing them with others in a manner that is beyond reproach which is why I have been given the honor of bestowing upon the latest member of the Chaplaincy hierarchy the title of Bishop should he care to accept." Clement nodded gracefully and the King announced,

"Since the office of High Priest serves as an official Adviser to the Royal Court, this new Title will be the official Designation of his office to Nortanians everywhere. I do hereby declare this an official Royal Decree! In closing, I would officially like to extend my appreciation to the Government that sent these Emissaries to honor us with their presence. We as a society mourned the loss of your previous monarch due to the treacherous depravity of our common foe and we are sure the son will do the father proud. **_THE KING IS DEAD, LONG LIVE THE KING—GOD SAVE THE KING_**!" A chorus of echoes rang through the room for several minutes. Jarrad leaned over to O'Camp and queried some things about what was being said and he replied,

"Technically the Primus' _title_ is the same as that of King Cadroll's but there is no direct translation in the _Royal_ language. The UT is defaulting to the _Common_ tongue which renders it as _king_ for want of a better term. The term _God_ is used since the phrase they are using directly transliterates in concept to the familiar axiom. The term _Mystic_ is derived from the _Religious_ language and is the same word as used for _Paladin_ in the _Military_ tongue. I _could_ directly translate and explain the concept further but I know how you get during my sermons." Jarrad smiled and nodded that the explanation was sufficient. When the cheer died down, the King closed the ceremony. A number of people approached O'Camp to extend their congratulations. The King approached Jarrad who was speaking with McCollin and asked to be introduced. After those were made, the head of the AEC asked,

"I suppose if we are going to be seated near you during the opera, your Guards will want to relieve me of this." He smoothly removed his Lightsaber from its pouch and held it in a neutral position. The King smiled and his eyes opened wide in admiration as he held his hands out to touch the weapon. McCollin released it and the King gently ran his fingers along the weapon. He pointed to the activation button and McCollin acknowledged the request with a nod. To the murmured approval of the guards, the weapon sprang to life and the intense 4' long glowing blade emerged from the handle. The King swung the blade back-and-forth, causing the weapon to hum as the energy cleft the air. Holding the weapon in _salute position_ to its owner, the King commented,

"A truly fine weapon! I was also given one of these by the Lunärian Ambassador but I don't get to train with it nearly as often as I'd like—especially since the last time I did I gave my Trainer a rather bad scare…my Guards would prefer I not have opportunity to create a repeat performance." The King deactivated the weapon and handed it to one of his Guards, gesturing for him to stay near McCollin while in possession of his weapon. The King leaned forward and elbowed McCollin in the ribs playfully as he intoned,

"Sometimes they worry a little too much about things. It's probably as much for your safety as mine though."

"Pfft, fine! I'll make a note to not ask them if you can be my sparring partner." McCollin replied in kind. He then turned and said to Jarrad,

"I could learn to like this guy!" Jarrad responded

"I've been thinking the same thing since I met him. Now I see where Hersh gets his amiability. Almost makes me wonder why they had a Civil War." Before McCollin could think up a witty reply, several Nortanians approached. The first one Jarrad recognized as having met before as the Commander of the Grand Paladin that had escorted Dermon to his new posting here at Nortania.

"General Orion, it is a distinct pleasure to get to see you once again!" Jarrad greeted the maturing Nortanian who replied in Drakmärian,

"_Käshebi chi bopäwi yuxa gomshu_. _(Power Thru Peace my family by honor)_ …How did I do?"

"An 'A' for effort and about a 'C' for translation." Jarrad winced and the two wagged index fingers at each other as if from some private joke. Jarrad turned to McCollin and introduced the man,

"Orion, this is Vice Fleet Admiral Micheal Jon McCollin, CO for _STARBASE LUNÄR_ and, as head of the Alliance Engineering Corps, one of the finest Engineers you'll ever meet. Ox, this is General Royal Gorsuch Orion, Field Commander for the Nortanian Militia/Armada Reserves and the CO for the Grand Paladin _EGERAN Fox_, which is the Reserves' Flagship." The two exchanged pleasantries and McCollin noted that the Reserves uniform differed from the _active duty_ version in that the sash was grey rather than silver and the hash marks on the lower disc for the Subordinate Ranks were white rather than silver with the Command hashes on the upper disc being yellow not gold. He also noted that the sidearm was in a cross-draw holster rather than the usual drop-holster. A sudden hush came over the area and the crowd parted to reveal a man wearing a uniform that was quite different. Rather than the usual green, he was wearing a purple uniform with a sash that was gold rather than silver. The man approached the King and bowed deeply then turned to face Orion and returned the reservist's salute. It was only after he'd done this that the King turned to face Jarrad and made introductions. The man was General Royal: Honor Pwal Lhamm and served as Supreme Commander of the Militia Armada as well as CO of its flagship the Royal Paladin _RAYLEE Bird_. Lhamm complimented O'Camp on what a fine ship the _ARCHANGEL_ appeared to be as they had scanned the vessel on approach. He proceeded to make small talk about the literature that the Star Corps had provided the Militia command concerning the details of the new vessel. O'Camp paused the conversation to wave over Ses who was chatting with Vine. As the two approached, all murmured approval at Vine's decorations. Although the Striker was wearing a Royal Ranger Dress Uniform, he had _all_ of his ribbons attached. The number was double the next nearest which left Jarrad and Orion a distant second and Lhamm a close third by one behind them. Introductions were made and O'Camp glanced over at McCollin who subtly nodded as if understanding his comrade's intent before the Star Corps' Vice Commandant spoke,

"General Royal Lhamm was just discussing how impressed his crew is with that ship you just finished putting together for me." O'Camp then turned to face Lhamm and continued, "If there's anyone you should be complimenting it should rightly be Lieutenant Commander Ses." Lhamm nodded and did so,

"Quite so, commander. It is a very fine ship as I was just informing…" O'Camp held up an interrupting hand at Lhamm's use of the acceptable use of the rank abbreviation and queried,

"Sir, what rank did you call him?" Slightly taken aback, Lhamm paused then addressed O'Camp,

"I meant no offense. I understood that it is normal to shorten that rank in such fashion."

"Not a problem. Who am I to argue if a Superior Officer of a friendly power chooses to promote one of my officers?" From the look on his face Lhamm was beginning to catch on. He concluded by addressing Ses,

"Well my friend, it would appear that you have been promoted. Congratulations!" Ses smiled and simply replied as he shook the Nortanian's hand,

"_Chep_!" The King then announced that the opera was due to begin within the half hour and for them to all follow him.

* * *

We all made our way into the arena with O'Camp explaining to me some of the finer details of what was going on. The opera itself was called "_Memoriam_" and its subtitle was "_The fallen hero_" and was about the Berger attack that killed Zach and destroyed the old Flagship as well as severely crippling the _MERCY_. The arena was beyond massive as the PADD I've been handed indicates it will hold over 1 million people. We were seated with the King in his personal VIP lounge and I got to ask one of the attendants about the technology. She informed me that the arena was the most massive holodeck in existence. The opera began and I was instantly impressed by the level of detail in the holo-art that comprised the non-actor components of the presentation. The primary focus was on Dermon and it treated me as a lesser character. The gentleman who portrayed me didn't even have many lines. I quickly understood that the opera itself was decidedly _not_ a history lesson as some of the facts were more than a _little_ off and the sequence of events was modified to better focus on Dermon's involvement. It was more of an _interpretive entertainment_ and it did justice to Zach's memory. I also got a chance to stretch my voice and do some singing since all the songs were phonetically transcribed onto my PADD and I was told that to _not_ join in was an insult. Though not necessarily my style of music, I had fun with it as it had one big thing in its favor…it wasn't Klingon music as that gives me a headache! The energy in the music builds along with the drama of the opera and by the time we got to the battle scene my pulse was racing and I was on the edge of my seat. The creator was very good as I had been there for the actual events and my adrenaline hadn't gotten this much of a rush back then! By the time the climax hit, I was nearly hoarse with the rousing tumult. Watching the battle take place was unusual since the _TANELORN_ hadn't single-handedly held off the invading fleet while waiting for reinforcements after the allied ships had been disabled. Zach also had not been killed while fighting off a squad of Jerichans while unarmed. It was also hard to tell whether Zach had beamed over to the Jerichan ship or if the Jerichans had beamed over to the _TANELORN_. From a note on my PADD it indicated that was done on purpose due to thematic elements in Nortanian poetry relating to the definition of heroism. The production came to an abrupt halt and I was left nearly breathless in awe. The holographic _TANELORN's_ explosion filled the entire arena with a light that was so intense I could hear the emitter nearest the lounge _buzz_ from the energy output after I was forced to shut my eyes. The light faded to reveal an image of Commodore Zachary F. Dermon that was nearly 100 feet tall. It spoke a brief soliloquy using Zach's own last recorded words along with a brief statement in Nortanian which was from a speech he gave when he addressed the native population in regard to his anniversary of taking over _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ when he was inducted as a honorary member of the Royal Court and given the blue _honor sash_. I was about to give due applause when I noticed the individual with the holo-imager had it pointed right at me. With a flash of improvisation, I slowly stood to attention and saluted. I noticed that the low buzz of conversation that was pervading the crowd below came to an abrupt _hush_. I then spotted a ripple of movement as the same crowd followed my lead. The sense of honor and pride I felt at the moment was such a rush. This kind of thrill was what makes this Command so worthwhile. I paused for a moment not only out of respect but to wipe off the grin that was trying to impose itself onto my face. The person with the imager discreetly approached me and extended a hand that contained a directional audio pickup device expecting me to make some comment for the record that would likely be entered into Zach's memorial. _What to say? What to say? What to…!_ Then it hit me, the ideal way to immortalize this moment. I took a deep breath and with as much effort as I could muster, I howled out, 

"**_THUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU……………_**" I held it as long as my lungs could, although my throat felt as though it was going abdicate my larynx at any second. I felt a rumbling which I thought was my own body shaking from the excitement or emotional impact. I was only half right. As my voice went quiet, I could hear the chorus of hundreds of thousands echoing my sentiment with equal fervor. The rest of the evening was a mercifully brief blur. I made small talk with several of those with me in the VIP lounge and I was informed that the artist whose team had been responsible for doing the programming of the opera's holography was requesting an audience with me. I was happy to oblige. The young man spoke with a peculiar accent which I was informed by O'Camp was known as the _Artist's_ dialect. It was a variation of _Common_ which was a little more _descriptive_ and, in some opinions, _philosophical_. From my own forays into the world of art, doing many of the drawings that graced the walls of public areas of the old Flagship, I knew many artists tended to be overly enthusiastic about their craft. This one proved no exception to that rule and I quickly cut him off by suggesting my time was limited and there were others who wished my attention as well, one of whom was my wife. I took the sting out of it by saying it in such a way as to suggest I was taking time to address him so as to stave off the attention of those whose audience was less desirable but was required by their prominent status and my office. I winked at him conspiratorially and he giggled and looked around as though he enjoyed being privy to some confidential bit of information. I was caught a bit flatfooted when he asked me if there was anything I would change at all. Intending it as a joke, I commented that my character could be given a little more of a Commanding presence given the relationship I maintain with my subordinates. He got a look as though I had given him a grand inspiration and began taking notes on his Datalink furiously with a remote keyboard. I also thanked him that his _artist profile_ contained source file information on the actual events which transpired accoring to the official archives. He thanked me enthusiastically and bid farewell. I made the rounds of the remainder of the lounge attendees, starting with the King, who had to leave early and ending with O'Camp, who showed me how to use my new Datalink to beam back to _OUTPOST NORTANIA_.

"Honey are you okay? What's the matter?" I hadn't heard Scout enter the suite after she'd come off duty. I'd only been back for a little more than half an hour but I was emotionally drained. My dress uniform was left in a heap on the bed and I was standing at the suite's main observation port wearing only my dress pants. She approached me quietly and slid her arm around me. With a finger, she traced up the faded line of an old scar that ran from my lower chest across my rib cage and ended just above and to the side of my navel. From there, she ran her hand up to my face to wipe away the tears which were raining forth. Catching my breath, I lifted my head and pointed with the hand which wasn't leaning up against the window frame,

"You see the pulsing blue light way out there? That's a beacon placed at the epicenter of a 7000 plus kilometer wide antiproton field. It was left as a memory to…to…to………" My voice trailed off as the tears came once again. Scout silently held me as my body was wracked with sobs from the grief of confronting this significant loss once again. In all honesty, this was actually the first time I'd really allowed myself to dwell on the subject. The words came out almost unheeded,

"He was the best friend a guy could have or ask for. Totally dedicated and honest. He kept the Alliance running during its most difficult hour and it probably would have fallen apart if he hadn't run with my vision as if it was his. He was the kindest, gentlest, and most unassuming soul I've ever met. When he was alive, he touched so many with his quiet efficiency in the way he would just get things done even while others were still discussing the best way to do it. It was almost funny in that the hated Command Duties yet he always knew how to get his people to get the job done because they wanted to do it. In that way, he was probably a better leader than anyone else I'll ever know. Even though he was dying from that bio-infection that he'd contracted while on a secret mission, you could never get any of us to recall a day when he was sick. I always got the sense that he considered the Flagship his true home and only accepted the Starbase assignments as a favor to me because he knew that I trusted him and he wanted to honor that. His final words to me confirmed that. He didn't care about glory or honor as far as achievement went, he just knew that a job had to be done for the mutual cause of all concerned and he was happy to be part of that." I paused to catch my breath as I was feeling a little overwhelmed and then I continued, "He died the way he lived, getting the job done the only way he knew how: by putting his all into it and making sure that it got done. It's _not fair_ that he had to die since we've all been in worse situations and gotten out unscathed I'm sure that we could have found another option. That being the case I also know that I know that I know that I'm only standing here because of his sacrifice. He saved all the lives that survived the Flagship's destruction and many of those aboard the Outpost by distracting the Jerichans. I know for a fact that he saved _my_ life since if he'd _obeyed_ orders, I'd have gone over to finish his work in all likelihood. _I just miss him so much_. I'm not too proud to admit that I loved the guy since he was more family to me than my own. We never did hang out much together since we had different ideas of fun but he was like a brother to me. Now he's gone and I can't tell him any of this because he's never coming…" I couldn't bring myself to finish the thought. I wanted so bad to tell him I was sorry for not trying harder to save him but I knew that was a futile gesture. _I couldn't even say goodbye_. He was among the youngest and most promising officers of my original crew. He'd had his whole life ahead of him and had always done his best to find the path of mutual understanding in his Command decisions. That was quite difficult to maintain during a time of war but somehow he managed to stay true to himself through it all. With the rest of us being on the Front Lines on a regular basis, I was sure it would be a starship's assignee that would be the first among our group whose destiny would come up short. Nortania was well-protected and I'd let my guard down by thinking that a starbase would be much safer. Unfortunately, like Brian has preached, _each one has their own appointed time and that has always been a hazard of being out here. I always knew the day would come…**but not so soon**! Never say goodbye, Never say goodbye. Fare thee well and Godspeed, Zach. The Great Spirit has taken you where no one has gone before—beyond the final frontier_!

* * *

Hersh, McCollin, and O'Camp were all going through their own brand of _soul-searching_ at that moment as well. O'Camp had gone to the Chapel to meditate but couldn't shake the heaviness upon his soul. He'd actually begun wandering aimlessly around the Library next to the Chapel in an effort to distract himself and wound up in the Study Area. A class was in the process of being let out and he held back as he wasn't in the mood to socialize. A familiar voice came up from behind and greeted him and he turned around to find Lieutenant Templeton. She informed him she was getting set up to teach a class and he walked along with her for awhile only half listening to what she was saying. The Deaf woman didn't seem to notice he wasn't taking part in the conversation, he just wanted some company which wasn't familiar with his history relating to the situation involving his former roommate's death. 

McCollin was sitting in a Technician's alcove aboard the _LARRGN-Z_ which was in one of the main Jeffries' tubes immediately adjacent to the Warp Drive. It was one of the few areas aboard that you could actually _feel_ the ship. He had his eyes closed and was absently chewing his herb stick. He hadn't known Dermon all that well, except as professionally when Dermon had been McCollin's superior in the Engineering Corps and that had mostly been a professional acquaintance. Still, with all the other dramas going on in his life, seeing the opera had gotten him to thinking about what his goals and ambitions were. He had one year left until his current five year _tour of duty_ was complete and there were still things he wanted to do with his life. Like most Engineers, he had a plethora of offers. Living in the lap of prestige had its benefits for sure but there was just something lacking in his life. He wanted to find a place to call his own and make something of it. Similar to what Pr'gn had done. The stars still beckoned him, but not in the same way as they had. Unlike Pr'gn, he didn't care as much for developing _new_ technologies. He would rather build a ship and keep it flying. Like he had when he and his brother used to race the '_M.J. Mac_' a shuttlepod they'd built from scratch while on school break. It was as much a race to keep the thing flying and in one piece as it was to win. They always managed to succeed at both somehow. He hadn't seen his twin in nearly a year since the _KIRK_ was assigned to run protective patrol for _SERENDIPITY STATION_ and usually stayed at the far end of the wormhole. Perhaps when his current tour was over he would take an extended leave and pay a visit as part of it. The one thing he'd learned from his comrade's death was you should always strive to enjoy life while you had it. _Learn to live as though each day were your last, as they had all found out that tomorrow wasn't guaranteed to anybody_.

Hersh had a completely different perspective. The opera had reminded him just how _angry_ he was at the Jerichans for _murdering_ Commodore Dermon. This war had gone on _far too long_ and he was fed up with it. On his way to the Fitness Center to work off some of his agitation, he decided to take a detour through the gardens. There he found his Adoptive Mother and his Stepbrother, the Queen and Prince respectively. He stopped and chatted with them briefly. His mother had been quite fond of Dermon and was recalling some delightful memories of him to lighten her mood of being saddened by the opera's subject matter. His Brother had never met Dermon, but respected the regard in which the family held him and was listening with genuine rapt attention to the stories. These would be the same stories that he would one day pass on to his children, although Hersh's nephews and niece were a little too young to understand just yet. He wasn't really in the mood to share one of his own stories but they both insisted. His Brother insisted it would be something fresh that he could share with his friends at the Academy when he returned at the beginning of the Semester. Hersh told a story which wasn't intended to be humorous but both found it to be so about when he and Dermon had switched jobs for the day. It turned out Dermon was actually better at Security Detail than Hersh was at Engineering duties. Both were glad wen the day was over and their respective Departments made them promise to never do that again. The Prince mentioned to Hersh that he'd been made two offers in the Armada which he was seriously considering. Either Chief of Operations/3rd officer for a new Grand Paladin, or Assistant Chief of Engineering/shift team leader for one of the existing Royal Paladins. Both positions were equally prestigious and he'd already been informed his preliminary scores were high enough to earn him consideration for Mystic Warrior training. Hersh congratulated him and let it slip that he'd also become privy to some career opportunities. This news surprised them both as they knew he'd turned down a promotion after the controversial Command Decision had caused some trouble within the Alliance hierarchy. Hersh declined to elaborate and they dropped the subject. Upon hearing Hersh was going to spend some time getting a workout, his Stepbrother asked if he could join him. Hersh didn't particularly want the company, but accepted anyway.

* * *

"_Attention, Grand Admiral on deck_!" A voice called out as O'Camp stepped off the lift into C&C. He replied with the customary '_as you were_' after being flustered for a second over the formality. He'd been informed that it was mandated by Star Corps policy to show due proper respect for the station of achievement garnered by the Grand Admiral ranking. He went down to the lower level to where Ramoth was attending the Ops Command System Monitor in the center of the area. He smiled, 

"Good morning Kylara, didn't expect to see you here."

"Hi Brian. I never left after the conclusion of the festivities. _Miracle Works_ was experimenting with ways of modifying the _telemetry data feed_ from the Shadowcats when we got some very _unusual_ readings that we were unable to analyze. I'm in the process of using the original data to rebuild the telemetry feed remotely but it seems to be corrupted somehow." O'Camp told her to stay on it and then turned to face Lieutenant Commander Samson who addressed him in his soft, rumbling voice,

"General Royal: Honor Condvik is about to leave and would like to have a word with you." O'Camp nodded and Samson activated the Holo-com. The image of the CO of the Royal Paladin _MECRAY Serpent_ sprang into existence mere meters from O'Camp. The new Grand Admiral requested,

"Yes General Royal, what can I do for you?"

"Nothing at all my friend. We are planning to depart in a few minutes and I just got done looking over the specifications of your new ship. I wanted to let you know that I am hoping to someday see it in action as it is likely a truly an impressive vessel even if what I've read is half true." O'Camp thanked him for his words and bid him Good Fortune on his patrol. He then closed the channel after congratulating O'Camp on his promotion. A voice behind O'Camp spoke up,

"Question, I thought from the part of the ceremony that was broadcast that General Royal: Honor wore a _gold_ Mystic Warrior sash. The one Condvik was wearing is _blue_." O'Camp turned to face Templeton, who was just coming on duty, and replied,

"Lhamm wears a _gold_ sash as he's CO of the Flagship. His Department Heads are all the _élite_ of the Armada and serve the Militia as handpicked Honorary Members of the Mystic Warriors. The _blue_ sash is called an _honor sash_ and anyone who wears one is automatically up for selection into that title. Occasionally people who have distinguished themselves can have a _blue_ sash bestowed upon them. Those are made Honorary Members of the Royal Court's Honor Guard which is a separate yet equal title to the Warrior honorific. The only difference is that the Warriors all represent a lifetime of achievement and the Guards can be off-worlders or non-command ranks in the Militia. The nice thing is if you've already got the _blue_ sash, you get promoted from General to Royal: Honor without having to worry about the General Royal rank. Of course, nobody here would know anything about jumping ranks right!" He made a mock-sheepish expression and melodramatically covered his own rank insignia as Templeton took her station. While she cleared the Royal Paladin for departure, O'Camp looked at the two women working side by side. He was quite fond of both of them, but had more in common with Templeton and Ramoth was going to be leaving his life soon to go work with Pr'gn. He smiled as he recalled some of the teasing he'd been the recipient of on behalf of these two. _Speaking of women in my life_… O'Camp mused and said the remaining part of the thought aloud,

"Where's CARIN?" The hologram sprang into existence next to him in 'her' SHAUNA form. Being that 'she' was at 1/2 transparency, it meant that 'she' was actively being accessed at another location. 'Her' first duty was to report the status of this access,

"CARIN is currently being sent through a standard set of simulations aboard the _ARCHANGEL_. I am also briefing Lieutenant Vine on Station Security Logistics. He's quite thorough but I can discontinue if you like."

"That's quite all right as I should probably be aboard the _ARCHANGEL_ assisting with the integration anyway. Samson, please inform Vine that I want him to take part in these _sims_ as well. We have a pretty light day planned so Ramoth can get Templeton acclimated with C&C and Samson can do one last patrol."

* * *

"OK Toné, have fun, we'll see you later." The Jarrads, McCollin and Hersh had all finished having lunch together on the Concourse. Hersh had been enjoying spending time with Vine until Samson had relieved him. Hersh found the imposing 1/4 breed a little unnerving to be around even though he had set Samson up with a Nortanian woman from Intelligence Services with whom he now had a romantic interest. Hersh had an errand to run and then wanted to get back to his office. Both McCollin and Lieutenant Jarrad wanted to browse the Concourse, but Admiral Jarrad wanted to go see how things were up in C&C. He primarily wanted to check out the Command Holographic Interface, which he understood was back on-line since the work on the _ARCHANGEL_ was completed. Hersh made his way over to an Antiques Dealer who had informed him his _package_ had arrived that morning. Since it had to clear Dockmaster scan and be logged in by the dealer once it was separated from the rest of the shipment, the Dealer had told him it would be ready after lunch. It was. When Hersh left the store with his prize tucked under an arm, Admiral Jarrad was just getting into the lift and McCollin and Lieutenant Jarrad were just about to round the far curve of the Concourse's Upper Ring. It was just as well to Hersh as he wanted to spend some time handling his new purchase before showing it off. He made his way to the Security Office and sat down at the desk. He slowly opened the case and smiled at the contents. It's lines were sleek and gleamed in the artificial lighting. Back in its day, this was considered the top of the line. It was just as efficient as its modern counterparts but had much fewer parts as the function had changed radically over the years. Using it still had the same result. Some people feared them, others hated them and all who knew how to use them, respected them and treated them that way so as to get the best use out of them. Which is why Hersh now opened the included Cleaning Kit and went to work on the item. The Dealer had also had a hand-carved _display stand_ made for it in an effort to win points as he did with all the items of this type in Hersh's private collection. The nameplate was simple and to the point, reading **.357 MAGNUM 5-SHOT REVOLVER** with the name of the manufacturer and date of production in italics below. This weapon had survived in such pristine state since the turn of Earth's 21st century.

* * *

"Grand Admiral Jarrad, you may want to come take a look at this." Ramoth called out from her station. Jarrad, who was engrossed in conversation with SHAUNA on the opposite side of C&C, couldn't see the youthful Ops chief from where he was and seemed confused for a moment. SHAUNA did a '_holo jump_' by de-forming 'her' image next to Jarrad and re-forming it next to where Ramoth was seated. Jarrad trotted over to the new location after nimbly vaulting down the three steps between the levels. Ramoth indicated the complex graphical data on her Terminal as she narrated, 

"I've been working on a project for Grand Admiral O'Camp since we discovered some anomalous readings in the Shadowlands earlier. Templeton has extracted all the comm band frequencies and helped me establish a Field Survey Database of most of the typical frequencies associated with the Shadowland activity at this time. I believe what we are looking at is artificially produced." A look of concern swept over Jarrad's countenance as he requested of SHAUNA,

"Extrapolate and search Analytical Theory Forum." During a conference, O'Camp had extended a submission-based forum for all to take part in as a way of brainstorming progress in dealing with the Shadowlands. It had originally been conceived of by Hersh while taking notes on Shadowland patrol and had produced a wealth of ideas, some of which were quite valid while others bordered on the ludicrous. SHAUNA didn't even pause before 'she' replied,

"No known entities produce such emanations. Sensors are unable to determine mass or source. I can determine that it is traveling at sublight speed at 83 impulse and is moving along the wall of a lane that will bring it into the system on a line directly even with the position of the Civil Contract Section of the _ASLAN SHIPYARDS_." Templeton reported from her station,

"I may have been too thorough in my setup for Ramoth. I cross-checked the comm frequencies against the _authorized encryption protocols_ for our Contractors and one comes back as a locater beacon used by _Miracle Works Incorporated_. The feed that I am getting is erratic and it looks like the telemetry may be corrupted." At this, Ramoth announced,

"MWI has an experimental new Shadowcat out on a test run. It may be returning after having been damaged somehow." They all agreed that this was a logical hypothesis that made sense. Jarrad didn't like it as something about it didn't _feel_ right to him. Even the _theory of evolution_ made sense as the logic behind the Science seemed sound on its face yet even today as many as embraced it also found it ludicrous and his two most trusted advisers didn't agree on it and their opposing positions both made perfect sense to him.

* * *

"Final simulation is concluded. _Standard evaluation is within range of acceptable parameters_. You did quite well Admiral." CARIN applauded as 'she' raised the lights to normal level. Vine smiled when O'Camp replied _he'd only managed to lose the ship **twice** during the battery of tests along with losing **nearly half of his crew** on several occasions_—it was a cynical reflection on the terminology _quite well_ although everything had been done according to regulations. The last point was echoed by Vine, who as a Deck Officer briefly wound up in the Center Seat after O'Camp had been incapacitated during one of the simulations. They all made their way to the Mess Hall where O'Camp invited Vine to sit with him as he sat next to Ses, who had also just arrived. Ses confessed that it was an unique experience working with a mostly Nortanian Engineering staff. They had accepted his Authority since he was more familiar with the new systems although his Assistant outranked him. Vine commented that he'd discovered Nortanians considered their _rank system_ to be a little different than the Alliance norm. Ses' assistant being a Captain was a subordinate to a Star Corps' Commander since the Nortanian version of Captain was two steps higher at Major: Command. It was confusing since it was considered a Flag Rank which could hold a Command position, yet was not considered a '_Command_' rank. O'Camp clarified by saying that rank could hold CO of any Armada vessel except Grand or Royal Paladin. They could also give orders to their crew but couldn't establish orders for their vessel's mission, which is why they were usually assigned to a ship attached to the authority of, and docked with, a Royal or Grand Paladin. This clarified things for both officers and they spent nearly an hour covering various subjects until O'Camp decided he needed a break and wanted to go check out his quarters. Vine offered to escort him but O'Camp declined saying he wanted to limit the embarrassment of finding what sort of damage Jarrad and McCollin had done while _en route_. That got a knowing, sympathetic chuckle out of Ses and a shrug out of Vine, who didn't tolerate those sort of '_wasteful endeavors_' out of anyone without firmly addressing his thoughts to the offending parties. When he finally arrived at his quarters, he found them just as Jarrad had left them. Securely LOCKED. With a deep sigh, he asked CARIN to identify who had left the access in this fashion. 'She' confirmed it was, in fact, Jarrad who had sealed the quarters but only O'Camp's code could open it. He authorized 'her' to do the honors and the door slid open. He took a tentative step in and looked around, ready for anything. He took several more steps in and started to look puzzled and commented that everything appeared normal. CARIN was about to reply when there was a slight shudder and the _ARCHANGEL_ went to Red Alert!

* * *

"Multiple impacts on Concourse Upper Level. Anti-transport shielding has been compromised." SHAUNA reported. Jarrad sprang into action by diving toward the Tactical Station. Years of experience had taught him that most consoles for a certain function shared universal traits, this one was no exception. He quickly found _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s heavy blasters and fired them at their disappearing attacker. He watched fascinated as the 3-D holographic terminal coalesced into a more intuitive interface for his use. Ramoth reported, 

"Although we hit with 3 blasts, I'm not reading significant damage. As a suggestion sir, you may want to focus on using Starbursts during the initial phase of combat as those are de-phased plasma torpedoes and are fairly efficient against shields." Jarrad remembered this fact right as she mentioned it and thanked her for it. Templeton announced,

"Incoming messages from both _LARRGN-Z_ and _ARCHANGEL_. Shall I institute Conference Mode?" Jarrad replied with his customary '_Let's do it_!' and holo-images of both Captains sprang into existence. Jarrad addressed the _LARRGN-Z_ first,

"Go ahead Captain Gartiér." With no emotion reflecting her thoughts on the matter, she responded,

"According to Alliance policy, should you wish to assume Command of this vessel my crew and I stand ready to serve." Jarrad was about to complete one step toward the transporter when he remembered his Datalink. His hand went for the _site-to-site transport_ feature as he mused how things had changed. That thought brought him up short and he realized a sobering thought. _Things **had** changed_. Jarrad stopped short and addressed her,

"_As you were_. Right now I'm established as a Station Commander so I think I'm best staying here. Besides I've worked with this crew before and I think that they can put up with me for a few minutes." He smiled and glanced at Ramoth, who nodded. Gartiér then announced,

"We seem to be having a problem with the _emergency docking release_, it seems to be non-functional." Ramoth whispered something to Templeton so that it could not be heard over the comlink but would still be translated by her EAR and the Etuman announced,

"It's an organic breakaway seal. As long as you've got a positive airlock just pull away and it will reform automatically." O'Camp then announced,

"Chief since you are staying there I'm going to send CARIN over." Jarrad replied somewhat confused,

"Who's '_Karen_'?" To this, SHAUNA replied matter-of-factly,

"Me, in a manner of speaking." He turned to face 'her' and saw a figure step out through an invisible '_door_' onto the deck. Right as the new figure was complete, SHAUNA disappeared. The new figure, who shared SHAUNA's features yet had a different uniform and hairstyle, spoke,

"Good afternoon Admiral, it is a pleasure to work with you." Something about the new hologram seemed familiar and Jarrad asked,

"_Ziggy? _! Is that you!" 'She' giggled and replied,

"In a manner of speaking yes and no. I am who and what I've become because of your Ziggy, but I am a completely different entity." Ramoth cried out,

"Incoming aggressor decloaking! Power buildup to _weapons systems_." Jarrad began to prepare a salvo of Starburst torpedoes and watched as the _ARCHANGEL_ went on the offensive. The Tactical Scout's _shakedown cruise_ lasted all of 5 seconds as it charged toward the Jerichan Fathership that shimmered as it decloaked. The _ARCHANGEL_'s flight path formed a stunted 'U' as it _waggled_ to keep away from incoming fire while closing in on its target. It continued to _waggle_ as it opened fire while crossing the dorsal surface of its target with its quad phasers. Ramoth's station, which was still setup to monitor frequencies suddenly broadcast the sounds of the cannons firing,

"**_CHAMEE-CHAMEE-CHAMEE-CHAMEE-CHAMEE_**" Ramoth switched off the feature as everyone cringed from the sudden cacophony. Templeton slid her EAR prosthesis back on as Ramoth fingerspelled S-O-R-R-Y. CARIN announced,

"_Initiating holographic combat command system_." Before Jarrad could ask what that was, the entire C&C area was encompassed with a complete view of what was going on outside.

"Wow!" was all Jarrad could say as he watched the _ARCHANGEL_'s firepower tap dance across the hull of the Jerichan. The _ARCHANGEL_ could easily be likened to the Federation starship _DEFIANT_ with the way it moved and fought. Jarrad had seen the other in action when he had attended a conference on _DEEP SPACE 9_ entitled '_Station Command Dynamics_' in which he'd been invited to speak. Jarrad had given his speech on '_Command Dynamics in a Fluid Society_' which concerned how to establish yourself with a population which was constantly changing. The day before he was due to leave, two rival clans had arrived and began to trade shots over who was going to dock first. With a Klingon in Command and a Bajoran at the Helm, the _DEFIANT_ quickly settled the dispute. The _LARRGN-Z_ was not far behind the _ARCHANGEL_ and Jarrad heard the order given for the Battlecruiser to intercept the flight of fighter craft that had appeared out of nowhere. Jarrad noted this and announced,

"Keep a heads-up Ramoth, it looks like we have at least one more Fathership out there which means we likely have at least 4 Scouts to contend with." He watched as the _ARCHANGEL_ completed its initial run and fired two quantum torpedoes from its aft launcher in preparation of turning around to commence it's follow-up. One of the torpedoes hit something vital and, along with the trauma that had been caused by the initial strafing, the Jerichan began to break apart, its back broken. The _LARRGN-Z_ waited until the fighter craft began their run and then Jarrad heard her Captain's image say '_Now_!' and the mighty warship fired off a withering salvo from her phaser banks that destroyed them all. Jarrad _whooped_ in triumph as he began inputting a series of high-impact commands into the blaster arrays. This sent out a random yet complete coverage array of fire to help locate the cloaked ships by any impacts that were made. One Scout suddenly decloaked and got off a lucky shot that incapacitated the _ARCHANGEL_'s aft torpedo launcher. The _ARCHANGEL_ was about to come about and return fire but that maneuver would have put it in the _LARRGN-Z_'s firing zone as another Scout decloaked just aft of the first one and fired on the larger Alliance vessel. Jarrad felt a slight chill as the _ARCHANGEL_ changed its course and began to bear down on _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ at an incredible rate! Jarrad opened his mouth to say something but stopped as the _ARCHANGEL_ abruptly broke off the charge and swung hard to port. A tractor beam shot forth from the _ARCHANGEL_ to affix to the Outpost's shields and this had the net result of _slingshotting_ the ship around the Facility in a maneuver that was too abrupt for anyone to track. Because of the Jerichan Scout's angle of attack, it was far easier for it to break to starboard as it encountered _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ while in its pursuit. It was a fatal mistake. The _ARCHANGEL_'s quad phasers came alive just as the Scout came into view, ripping into the starboard disruptor and tracing a line partway to the Bridge. The _LARRGN-Z_ spotted a Scout that had been outlined by one of _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s blaster shots and landed several hits on the engine area with torpedoes before the cloak recovered fully. This effectively disabled the cloak and the _LARRGN-Z_ was swooping in for the kill when a Cruiser suddenly decloaked off its starboard bow. For some reason, although the Cruiser had a perfect shot, it held its fire. The _LARRGN-Z_ fired braking thrusters to bring itself hard about to confront the new target as Jarrad re-locked the Starburst he was about to fire on the new threat. An odd looking beam spat forth from the Jerichan warship's deflector and if the _LARRGN-Z_ hadn't been jockeying for position to take a defensive posture, it would have had a clean path to _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ C&C. As it was, the _LARRGN-Z_ wound up directly in-between weapon and target and the beam impacted on the starboard Nacelle just forward of the Nacelle pylon. For a moment, it appeared to Jarrad that the weapon had had no effect as there was no visible impact mark. The _LARRGN-Z_ actually fired phasers and hit the inverter weapon, leading Jarrad to think that the new weapon was a dud. Until he heard Captain Gartiér announce,

"We're having to abandon ship! Critical overload on affected Nacelle and we can't shut the engine down due to internal damage!" CARIN announced,

"That was a highly-energized, focused ion particle beam which was fired from their scanners on an inverse phased beacon. The _kinetic energy rebound_ has caused the affected bulkhead structure to go brittle and also caused subspace impact stresses to continue in a direct line from point of impact. Those phasers you just fired caused an amplification in either the gravity or subspace fields and your motion amplified the effect. If you could come to a dead stop and shut off your Subspace Field for 10 seconds you will be able to shut down the engine." Gartiér replied tightly,

"I doubt that the Jerichan is going to be very accommodating with that idea!" O'Camp cut in,

"CARIN see if you can find a Plasma Curtain on the local Shadowland _event horizon_." CARIN responded,

"_LARRGN-Z_, set your shields to the lowest cyclic rate possible and head into the Shadowlands at 220 by 168 by 073…"

"That location will put us about 100 meters _inside_ the Shadowlands!" Gartiér protested. CARIN continued, "What you are seeing is actually a sensory illusion created by the impact of two storms. There is actually a pocket of inert gas behind it but you have to reset your shields to get through." The _LARRGN-Z_ made for the location at full impulse and Jarrad could see a faint plasma trail which got denser as the ship went along. Jarrad's firing pattern had finally revealed the other two Scouts and the _ARCHANGEL_ was finishing up a strafing run on the Cruiser when one of them got in a lucky shot with its inverter weapon right as the Tactical Scout was coming around the far end. All power emanations from the _ARCHANGEL_ went dead as the lights went dark and the ship stopped in its tight turn and simply went into a fast drift sideways. Jarrad desperately wanted to do something but he had his hands full. The Cruiser's weapons were down and the undamaged Scout was hidden by the larger craft. The _ARCHANGEL_ was drifting quickly past the undamaged Scout which paid the helpless craft no attention. The Scout was slowly maneuvering to the far end of the Cruiser to get a better shot at the Outpost. All the while this was going on, the two crippled Scouts were trading shots with _OUTPOST NORTANIA_ and had Jarrad's firing pattern on the defensive. The section of the shields the Jerichans were concentrating on was near to failure. The ROGUE and Stinger squadrons all had their hands full with the Donner-class fighters and the new Blitzen-class was an improvement on the design. Rather than the usual teardrop shape, which made for a great target, these new fighters were delta-winged and flown from a laid down position, making them only a couple feet tall and quite difficult to hit from directly fore or aft. Templeton announced,

"The Royal Paladin _MECRAY Serpent_ is returning at maximum Warp and will be back here 20 minutes. I have also received confirmation signals from two Grand Paladins, but am unable to determine which due to plasma field distortion. CARIN announced,

"This is odd, I did an extensive scan of the _ARCHANGEL_ but I'm unable to come to any conclusions on her status. Likely due to her phased hull sheath. One thing I _have_ been able to determine is due to residual hull deterioration, the Jerichan Fathership has been in the Shadowlands for 2 months and 3 weeks."

"So much for '_luck and patience not being a part of the Jerichan psyche_' as Grand Admiral O'Camp is fond of saying." Ramoth frowned. Jarrad was barely paying attention. The shields were about to go critical and in a few seconds, the _ARCHANGEL_ would be in the clear of the Cruiser, leaving a clear shot to the other Scouts. Then the amazing happened. Right as the _ARCHANGEL_ cleared the Cruiser, power came back on and she fired multiple salvos of quantum torpedoes into the landing bay that was opened by point blank blast of quad phaser shots. Jarrad had to laugh in spite of his failing shields. In the back of his mind, he recognized the spread patterns of the 3 torpedo groups—golf, oscar, delta…phonetically it spelled out **GOD**! There was a massive explosion from the Fathership's stern. This broke the inertia just enough to send it drifting toward one of the Scout ships which were firing at _OUTPOST NORTANIA_! The Scout took notice and was about to maneuver out of the way when a series of quad-phaser shots disabled its engines. The resulting collision was inevitable. O'Camp came back over the reestablished comlink,

"Sorry about that Chief but I was a bit outmaneuvered. Having that inverted warp core really saved us though." Jarrad replied with the edge of strain he was feeling coming through his voice,

"That's for sure! I need a distraction as number 3 shield is about to fail!" O'Camp nodded and answered,

"Say no more. Get that shield up let me be your shield in the meantime." Jarrad watched, perplexed, as the _ARCHANGEL_ took up position in front of the missing shield. Due to her unique hull, the Jerichan's torpedoes weren't able to get a lock and the ones that were fired manually were shot down by the ship's blaster strips.

* * *

"SHAUNA, what's going on?" Following the initial shots that rocked _OUTPOST NORTANIA_, Hersh had dived under the desk and whipped out his phaser. Being First Officer, he was allowed complete _interface redundancy_ through his Datalink and the hologram appeared normal although 'she' was being accessed up in C&C. SHAUNA replied, 

"We have just been attacked by a Jerichan warship and the integrity of the Concourse's outer hull has been compromised in section 8." Since that was only 2 sections over, Hersh decided to go check out the damage. He dropped his box of ammunition into a desk drawer and slid the new firearm into his pants' utility pocket after loading it. He left the office at a quick jog and was half way to his destination when he abruptly stopped. Jerichans were taking advantage of the damage to the anti-transport shielding and were beaming in through that area. Hersh quickly flattened himself against one of the wall's support beams and ordered,

"Activate intrusion defense mechanisms!" There was a pause and SHAUNA replied,

"Unable to comply. Mild damage to primary processor trunk has disabled active intervention system as well as internal comm cellular grid."

"Enable passive system then. I'm going to get the attention of our friends here and get to the Striker Detachment office." Hersh cautiously made his way to where he was on the opposite side of an open section to the floor below. A team of 5 Jerichans were keeping the Strikers from getting to the Armament office. Hersh heard the _swoosh_ of the directed energy scattering field going into operation and waited for the shimmering effect to pass him before confronting the Jerichans by shouting,

"I am the First Officer of this Station and I order you to stop what you are doing _NOW_!" The lead Jerichan turned to face him and sneered,

"I don't think so. I think that we have got the upper hand as we are Supreme. I think it is time for you to die. What do you have to say to that!" The leader then tried to fire his disruptor but the beam only got a half a meter before it encountered the approaching field and was de-collimated. Hersh smiled wickedly as they quickly moved to adjust their weapons into the dart-gun feature. He told them he knew exactly what he had to say as he holstered his phaser and whipped out his pistol,

"Get" **_BANG_**!

"Off" **_BANG_**!

"My" **_BANG_**!

"Station" **_BANG_**!

"Now!" **_BANG_**!

Hersh punctuated each word with a shot from his pistol and the team lay dead. Sure that the rest of the intruders had heard the shots, Hersh rapidly made his way to where the Strikers were arming themselves. Inside the armory, Nhod was handing out weapons and saying,

"These weapons are all loaded with cartridges that are 9 millimeters in diameter. The smaller pistols contain 15 cartridges each and fire one shot per trigger pull. The belts have 3 spare cartridge magazines. The larger weapons are rifles which contain twice as much ammunition but can also be set to fire continuously as long as the trigger is pulled. The belts contain 5 spare magazines for these. The ammunition is interchangeable but the magazines are not so watch your consumption rate. You have all been trained on variations of these weapons but I wanted you all to be sure what you were using. _Let's move out_!" As the Major was giving his pep talk, Hersh went to his locker and got out two weapons from his collection. The first was a pistol that was similar to the one Nhod had just handed out but was more powerful having instead a diameter of 10 millimeters or as the barrel indicated, .40 inches calibration. The second was a much more powerful and accurate rifle which was twice as long as the others. It used a cartridge that was slightly over 5.5 millimeters in diameter, but the lack of diameter was more than made up for by extra propellant in the cartridge. The weapon had a bipod affixed to the front near the end of the barrel and Hersh picked it up by the handle integrated just above the firing mechanism. Built into the top of the handle was a small scope and Hersh checked that before slinging the weapon over his shoulder. Hersh left the office and started to follow the Strikers by turning right but was surprised by a group of Jerichans who suddenly appeared around the corner. Hersh dove and rolled, firing his pistol as he did. Continuing with the motion of his roll, he brought up a leg and came up into a crouch and made for the corner, leading with the pistol. By his count, he had two rounds left and he reached for a spare magazine just as another came around the corner. He fired off the last two and the weapon locked into the open '_empty_' position. As he grabbed the spare magazine, several more intruders appeared on the corner opposite and charged him. In one smooth motion, Hersh ejected the empty magazine and spun his body to confront the new attackers while turning his wrist so that the hole for the fresh magazine was facing the other hand that held it. The magazine went into position with a metallic _snap_ and he then released the loading mechanism with his thumb to close with a sharp _click_. Without missing a beat of momentum, Hersh rapid-fired at the men who were now drawing a bead on him. A voice came up behind him and said,

"Fancy shooting sir. Ever thought of a career with the Strikers? The Sections the other way seem clear so if you want to set up here, we'll provide _cover fire_ for you." Hersh nodded and lowered the legs of the bipod into place. He then set them on the railing to another one of the many open spaces that featured the area between the Concourse floors and peered through the scope. The Striker he'd been chatting with commented,

"Just a suggestion sir, you may want to change magazines _before_ you go _ammo dry_. That way you won't have to worry about being unarmed for a moment while you reload next time." Hersh looked at her with a puzzled look and opened his mouth ready to protest when his eyes opened wide and he admitted,

"You're right, I did do that… Stupid mistake, comes from watching too many holovids I guess." The Striker shook her head and sighed in mock disapproval as she checked her own ammunition levels. She then took up position with her team. The Strikers all set up along the walls and fired at anything that moved into the open. Hersh was left with those who tried to hide and peeked out.

* * *

"Here comes trouble, hide behind this support beam until I figure something out!" McCollin said to Lieutenant Jarrad as they saw several Jerichans round the next corner. He found out the hard way that his phaser was inoperative and a near hit by a dart had led him to realize _a good run was better than a bad stand_. Right now he could hear them coming and it sounded like they were entering the same Section. He slid out his Lightsaber and made an adjustment to it before holding it down by his side. He quickly explained, 

"This setting is powerful enough to kill without the messy splatter of a slice-and-dice. It is actually the level that is heavy stun for a Lunärian. I just wish there was someplace I could put you so that you will be out of the way since Dart will have my hide if something happens to you." Lieutenant Jarrad smiled sweetly and replied,

"Oh there's more to this Zarcorian than meets the eyes and I can handle myself, which my husband knows." She made a slight jumping motion and sailed up to the ledge where the decorative part of the wall ended. From where she now sat, her ankles were about even with McCollin's nose. He marveled that she had made _a 4-foot jump straight up_ with little effort! Craning his neck to look up at her, he stopped idly chewing his herb stick long enough to ask sarcastically,

"Pfft, fine! Are you sure you can't get _any_ higher? Perhaps you can get up into the rafter and nosebleed them to death! I'd forgotten that Dart told me about your high-gravity genes." She giggled softly and said,

"You mean like _this_, Mike?" She did a back-flip up the wall and, as soon as her feet were flat against the wall, launched herself toward the nearest cross beam. She literally _flew_ over his head to nimbly land atop the structure and took up her own position. McCollin could begin to hear the approaching Troopers and began to regulate his breathing. He had his back to the support and was holding his Lightsaber, deactivated, against his right leg. As they began to approach his hiding place, one of them came up with the idea to split up and each cover opposite sides of the open section which began a meter beyond McCollin's support beam. McCollin's breath caught in his throat, if they did that _he would be caught in the open as he went to them_! The one nearest McCollin said something he couldn't quite understand and took a step forward. The Engineer's vision tunneled for an instant as he saw the tip of the man's boot clear his range of vision past the support. The foot landed flat and he could see the knee. _Now or never_! McCollin's years of training screamed to the surface and he went into action. With one mighty swing, he brought up the Lightsaber which completed its activation sequence before it was halfway to its victim. The weapon crackled as it impacted the low chests of the first two. He spun the opposite direction, parried away the weapon which was being brought to aim at him, and reverse-spun the Lightsaber to impact on the side of the man who was next to that one. This motion gave the one whose weapon had just been destroyed the chance to grab his own sword. McCollin was now toe-to-toe with a man who was on equal footing. Lieutenant Jarrad grabbed the lip on the bottom of the cross beam and swung down right as two Jerichans were running toward McCollin's back. She released her grip and slammed both feet forward in a double-thrust kick to impact with both men's noses and they went down. She followed the impact and let it carry her forward as she somersaulted through the air over the head of another one behind them. He stopped short and started to turn around as she landed. She then whirled around into a highly acrobatic spinning roundhouse kick. It was her opponent's turn to go flying. She saw more opponents coming and did a backwards somersault to land on the railing to the open area. She then leapt back up into support grid of the ceiling to get a better view. McCollin's opponent tried an overhand smash which he deflected and spun his weapon with the motion to strike at the man's legs. The man jumped away and rolled to the side, but not before McCollin managed to singe a gash into the man's pants' leg. The man thrust hard and McCollin reversed his grip to avoid getting skewered through the lower abdomen. The sudden desperation of the maneuver caused the man's wrist to bend in an unnatural direction and for a split second he focused on maintaining his grip. It was all the opening McCollin needed. With his grip on his Lightsaber reversed, he spun around and brought his weapon up to horizontal. He noted with grim satisfaction that his target, the man's chest, was completely exposed. The man looked up as he retained his grip on his blade and locked eyes with McCollin for a brutal instant. In this instant, McCollin's intent as well as the fact that he was in no position to defend himself registered on the man's psyche. A brief sickly look washed over the Jerichan's countenance, which until now had been a combination of demeaning arrogance and hatred. The man's expression changed once again to one of horror as McCollin's weapon found its intended target and the Lightsaber's tip slammed into the Jerichan's chest. The intruders whom Lieutenant Jarrad had seen approaching witnessed McCollin striking down their fellow trooper and now charged him. A couple tried firing darts at him but at that range, the scattering field slowed the darts down enough that McCollin's adrenaline rush was able to employ his Lightsaber to block them all, to everyone's mutual surprise. With these numbers, McCollin figured this was the end and figured he might as well go out fighting and charged. Right as he did, he spotted another figure in an Alliance uniform do the same from behind. A throaty, bellowing roar told him it was Commander Vincent Samson. The catlike being dove into the rear of the Troopers' ranks and began to slash away with his inch-long extended claws. Several men fell victim to Samson's attack before they realized what was happening and scattered. The Junior Officer held his position and waited for his superior to join him. Once they were together, Samson snapped his own Photic blade out of its holster on the back of his belt and activated it. The Photic was very similar to McCollin's Lightsaber except that it was built differently. The unit was smaller and lighter and the blade was white rather than purple. McCollin also understood that the Photic's power supply was a micro-generator rather than a power cell. The two took up positions with their backs to each other. McCollin had known Samson ever since he'd trained with his father. Merchant Marine General Obadiah David Samson had asked Starfleet for an Engineering cadet to take part in a Training Mission after their regular Engineer had to leave on family business. The team took their name, the '_Wrath of GOD_' from their Commander's initials but still lived up to the name. He'd learned more about the way '_real_' Engineering was done in 2 months than he had in all his years in the Academy. The downside was that he ate the worst food, never got any sleep, and was always under pressure to '_get the job done half an hour before he was asked to start_' and to ignore the fact that he was being shot at. The upside was that he graduated a Semester early with Honors at the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade rather than Ensign and was offered the position of Engineering Team Leader aboard a Sector Flagship as his _training cruise_. General '_GOD_' Samson was good to his men and all of them respected him and McCollin was pleased when _LARRGN-Z_ offered the General's son a position in the Star Corps. Right now they both had their hands full with wave after wave of Jerichans attacking them with their blades. Lieutenant Jarrad had left after being ordered to find reinforcements. McCollin was beginning to tire as he wasn't as young as he once had been and was about to apologize to Samson for not doing better when he saw three flashes of purple out of his peripheral vision. It was the Mystic Warriors he'd eaten dinner with last night! The two males, Iaan and Ahlenn, had their Blood Swords out and were imitating McCollin and Samson. The one was still quite young and was spouting _one-liners_ with each stroke of his blade. The other was considerably older and was not responding to his Apprentice's youthful exuberance but was instead commenting on his combat tactics. This in a way was even funnier to McCollin who could remember the names but not which was which. Elayyn the female was entering the fray using her Fist-blade and wading through the sea of bodies toward Samson. She was roughly the same age as the Commander and was a cousin to his girlfriend. When she got close enough, she remarked,

"Thought you might like to know the Cavalry's here!"

"For them as well!" Samson growled. She turned to face the direction he was looking as he parried another blow from his opponent and saw another group of troopers running their direction. This gave the intruders they were fighting a renewed sense of purpose and Elayyn frowned as she fired two Bolts from her Carbine pistol at a Jerichan who was trying to charge the group,

"_Oh now that's just not right_!" Suddenly, from the other direction came a shout and a fatigued McCollin who was now fighting only out of _desperation_ and _reflex_ could hardly believe his eyes. Hersh, who had a look of _furious determination_ on his face was firing some kind of rifle at the attackers and there was squad of Strikers spread out behind him doing the same with smaller weapons. They all advanced as they fired and the new group of Troopers were forced to quickly change tactics. Several of them literally fell over each other in the process of getting out of the way and many did not get back up. McCollin shouted,

"_Bring the fire_!" Which was the Team slogan for the '_Wrath of GOD_' and two of the Strikers paused in their firing long enough to pump a fist into the air and yodel "_Hoo-yah_!" before going back to business at hand.

* * *

"Good news _and_ bad news Admiral." Ramoth announced. 

"_Bad first_!" Jarrad was getting annoyed since he couldn't use any weaponry while the shields were being fixed since the targeting system had to be taken off-line.

"The _ARCHANGEL_'s primary EPS coupling is about to fail since the secondary converter has shut down. On the other hand the _MECRAY Serpent_ is arriving in system and will be here about a minute before the _LARRGN-Z_ who has completed repairs." Jarrad frowned at the first part since O'Camp had reported the same problem aboard the _SHROUD_. It had something with the ship's batteries getting overloaded while shields were maxed during battle. The second part was good news indeed since… Ramoth interrupted his thought by reporting,

"Shields will be back up in 30 seconds and we're going to need them as the _MECRAY Serpent_ reports they are detecting another distortion field approaching us from the far side of Nortania." Jarrad groaned. _Going from the Chi'la to the Krizu_, as the saying went. One thing for sure was that with the _ARCHANGEL_, rising to the occasion was definitely in her job description. When _OUTPOST NORTANIA_'s shields came back up, the hardy vessel took off, even though her primary cannons were down, with blasters blazing at anything that moved. Templeton announced,

"Internal communications and sensors are now operational. We have been boarded while the shields were down but the intruders seem contained although I'm getting erratic readings from the…" She never got a chance to finish the statement as several Jerichans poured through the opening doors of the turbolift. Knowing that the Deaf woman had joined the Alliance from the diplomatic corps, Ramoth ordered CARIN to transport Templeton into O'Camp's office. Ramoth put her Cybernetic Implants to good use and took out several intruders before even her genetically enhanced combat skills began to get overwhelmed. With a mighty jump, she leapt to where Jarrad had already taken cover behind the far end of the Ops console. She landed right as Jarrad came up for another shot with his phaser and they nearly collided. This startled both of them for a split-second and it was enough for a Jerichan to land a shot on the station near them. The resulting explosion threw Ramoth to the ground and singed Jarrad's uniform. Noting Ramoth's still form, Jarrad whispered into his Datalink,

"CARIN open the Conference Room door and provide a distraction. Override holographic lethal safeguards for 30 seconds on my authority…**_NOW_**!" As CARIN complied, Jarrad grabbed up Ramoth's unconscious form and made a _dead run_ in the open for the Conference Room firing his phaser blindly and screaming a Cherokee _battle cry_ as he went. He made it. _How_ he did it he'd _never_ know but he saw _numerous_ disruptor blasts strike the doorway as he dove through. He turned around to see CARIN wading through the attackers. They couldn't land a hit of course as 'she' seemed to have made 'her' hands and feet the only solid parts of 'her' image. When several Jerichans fired their weapons at 'her' all at once, 'her' image appeared to '_hiccup_' slightly where it was hit. CARIN's voice came back through his Datalink,

"I can handle one shot at a time but the energy rebound from two or more can destabilize my matrix and I can't maintain solidity anymore." The attackers seemed to realize that 'she' was no longer a threat and turned back to Jarrad. He swung around the door and fired his phaser at them. On the first shot, he felt an odd _vibration_. It became stronger on the second and third shots. He looked at the display and realized that one of the disruptor shots had actually come _a little too close_ as the main battery's connector was fried and the weapon was operating on backup power—not only that but from the look of the lights being slightly skewed inside their housing, the internal circuitry was obviously out of alignment as well! He fired a couple more shots to keep them at bay and began looking around wildly for Ramoth's phaser. He spotted it over where she had landed after her jump…on the other side of the same terminal as to where the intruders had advanced! Any moment now they would begin to notice his phaser's beam was losing focal integrity as it was beginning to look '_fuzzy_' from the damage to the weapon. He was still able to fire but every few shots the display would start _blinking_ and to make it stop he had to lower the power setting. A few more shots and he'd be stunning them, with each shot bringing the weapon closer to a critical overload! The weapon was beginning to get _quite_ hot and Jarrad wasn't sure whether it was the _weapon_ or his _flesh_ that was _smoking_ when he finally decided that he had to make a go for the other weapon or die trying. Beginning to get giddy from all the excitement, he called out,

"_All right Custer, welcome to Little Big Horn in space_!" He heard them pause for a moment to try and figure out what he meant by that. They'd never get a chance to know that his statement was culturally _inaccurate_ on _many_ levels as Jarrad seized the moment and made his move. He wasn't even two steps out when everything began to move in _slow motion_. The Jerichans decided to rush _him_ at the same time and were beginning to clear the top of the terminal when Templeton stepped out of the office with an odd-looking device in her hands pointed at the rear of the intruders' ranks. The four men's hands dropped their weapons and flew to their heads as if in _agony_. They fell to their knees with disoriented looks on their faces. Right as Templeton ducked back into the office, a purple blur _erupted_ from the turbolift. He recognized the intense features of Mystic Warrior Jaycin above the flashing emitter of a Nortanian Blaster as the weapon tracked through the line of Troopers who were climbing over the terminal. Halfway there, Jarrad _dove_ for the dropped phaser as he saw one of the dead Troopers falling toward it. Still in seeming _slow-motion_, he had a mental image of the sermon where O'Camp had preached '_Ask and you will receive_' and he prayed _Oh God, make me fly…please_ as he hurtled through the air. Just as he began his dive, one of the disoriented Troopers began to recover, spotted the weapon and started to reach for his own. Jaycin noticed this, snapped a device off his belt and threw it at him. Jarrad noted with satisfaction as the small weapon made a _zzzzziiiiiippppp_ sound as it sped through the air to its target. He had to assume it connected as he collided with the dead Trooper at that moment and made a grand effort to roll him off. It was a wasted effort as their mutual motions kept them together while they slid across the floor. He began to panic but quickly realized he needn't bother since when he tried to shove him away something was blocking his hand, that something being his grip on the replacement phaser. He turned and saw a couple Troopers had managed to climb out of the lower section of C&C and he rewarded them for their efforts with a taste of his new weapon while quipping,

"_Time for something new and improved_! This one is guaranteed to not give you that _fuzzy_ feeling!" He leapt to his feet and vaulted down the nearby steps coming to a crouch at their bottom only to see Jaycin finishing up the last intruder with his Blood Sword. He then began issuing orders,

"Jaycin, take Ops…_belay that_, you have more Medical training…get into the Conference Room and attend to Ramoth. Templeton, you take Ops and get CARIN back up as I want a _sit-rep_ ASAP." Within moments, CARIN was back but had a odd yellowish '_glow_' about her which Templeton commented was almost '_angelic_' in nature. Jarrad smiled in spite of the stress and quipped for CARIN not to get any delusions of grandeur on Templeton's behalf. Jarrad took a deep calming sigh as his terminal came back on and absently patted Ramoth's phaser. He then realized that whether that _was an answer to his prayer or not_, he'd better play it safe and glanced to the ceiling and made a quick _thumbs-up_. He knew that was out of character for him but he attributed it to the adrenaline rush and the fact that he was glad to be alive. Templeton spoke,

"The _ARCHANGEL_ and the _LARRGN-Z_ are requesting docking permission and they request that we have Medical teams standing by." Jarrad nodded and hailed the _ARCHANGEL_,

"What did I miss? We had some problems with a few unwelcome guests right as the shields went back up." The holographic O'Camp replied,

"So I see. I guess even the Grand Admirals uniforms aren't impervious to wrinkles. Well the Cruiser got here first and our maneuverability kept them busy until they decided to talk. They gave me the '_we are supreme and we decree right of inevitability to this locale_' speech and I stalled them by giving a speech of my own out of the Jarrad handbook. I pretty much told them that they were in my sky and they weren't welcome. I told them that they could either leave in _peace_ or in _pieces_. When he started talking as though he didn't get the point, I then told him that he had one of two choices—he could either not mess with me _or_ mess with me _and pay the price_. I then told him I'd like to see him try since I was in a bad mood and I'd like to ruin his day anyway. He told me that I was pretty sure for someone who was _inferior_. I told him that was since I had a _back up_ plan. When he asked what that was, I told him that I would show him as long as he _didn't back up_. He requested _aft view_ right as the Royal Paladin dropped its cloak behind him. The _LARRGN-Z_ and the _ARCHANGEL_ each took care of one of the Scouts while the _MECRAY Serpent_ destroyed the Cruiser. They were then dispatched to retrace the path the Jerichan craft took and reroute the Shadowlands with plasma charges to cut it off in case they left a map or reported back." Jarrad agreed that was a wise strategy and closed the connection. CARIN came up next to him and handed him a PADD while saying,

"This is the initial report for your confirmation since you are technically in Command and the ranking Staff Officer present." He thanked 'her' and immediately recognized the list for what it was. The thought alone filled him with a sense of dread and he quickly ran through the first set of listings and tapped the unit to change '_page_' to view the second set. It was mercifully short

Gilbert, Thomas A, Corporal—Human, Striker Detachment, _Outpost Nortania_.

Klemka, Eric T, Lieutenant—Human, Engineering, _Larrgn-Z_

Noostet, Metaihs, Major—Nortanian, Militia Security detail, _Outpost Nortania_

Oaks, Amy L, Sergeant—Human, Striker Detachment, _Outpost Nortania_

"Rest in peace and thank you for you sacrifice." He whispered softly as he ran a finger across the display. It was ironic, The _ARCHANGEL_ hadn't had any casualties yet had the highest number of injuries and also had the more serious injuries. Jarrad absently noted that at number 72, Ramoth's name was listed in the _R_ section of the injured list rather than the _K_ as it had been when he'd first seen her name on a Duty Roster when they'd met. He handed the unit back to CARIN and left C&C, leaving Templeton in charge.

* * *

O'Camp was in his Ready Room meditating when the chime sounded. He didn't even bother to cover up the bandage on his hand when Jarrad strode in. Jarrad stopped short as he hadn't recalled seeing O'Camp on the injured list and made mention of it. O'Camp pointed to a section of the wall and indicated that _his office had succumbed to some hand-to-hand combat_. Jarrad quickly spotted the knuckle-shaped bloody imprint on the carpeting that lined the inside of the entry at about shoulder level. Jarrad got a small smile out of his former First Officer when he asked if _it was safe to come in yet_. Making his way to sit backwards on one of the chairs in front of the desk, Jarrad noted the Ready Room was a smaller version of the CO's office on _OUTPOST NORTANIA_. He made some mental calculations and figured the dimensions to be slightly smaller than those of the Conference Room _ah the benefits of command_ he thought as he swung the chair round. In an effort to make conversation, and to get O'Camp to stop staring out the window and face him, Jarrad spoke, 

"My condolences on the loss of your 3 people. Gartiér lost but one and she was in tears when I left." The tactic was only partly effective as the former Chaplain did reply but was still staring out the port as he replied,

"I never met the Major except when I greeted him after he transferred from the Armada. He transferred several months ago from a Grand Paladin…the '_something-or-other_' _Lizard_, I think the name starts with an _O_ …I'm sure it was a vowel at any rate. The Sergeant was a friend of Toné's and they used to joke around some as they have the same sense of humor. I chatted with her once about two weeks ago right after she'd completed her _indoctrination_ and stopped by to visit our table when Toné and I were having lunch. He'd asked her for some information for her personal file and she wound up having lunch with us although I had to go back on duty in a few minutes so I stayed out of the conversation. Corporal Gilbert I knew well. He started out aboard the _TANELORN_ and transferred to here aboard the _NARNIA_ on the trip that got me in trouble. If you remember the _Renegade's Blood _incident on Na'anac, his older brother was the Sergeant you left in charge of the camp when the _GALLOWAY_ arrived with the Alliance marines. He was a Private at the time and was the one who was following his brother around while the Sergeant told him everything about the job he was doing. His birthday was last month and he was preparing to get married in a couple months." Jarrad picked up the PADD on O'Camp's desk and took another look at Gilbert's picture. His stomach knotted as he suddenly recognized the face after the description. The face in his memory was nothing like the one he was looking at now. Each battle the war had brought had drawn another indelible line in his features. The look in his eyes was no longer innocent. Rather it was hardened by the multiplied experience of life and death many times over. Gone was the fresh look of insatiable curiousness of wanting to be best and please one's superiors. In its place was the harsh, steady look of determination born from knowing what to do and how to do it. The boyish-looking man in the image had aged several hard lifetimes in the space of a couple years. Jarrad responded,

"Ah yes, now I _do _remember! Quite an enthusiastic young man as I recall. Not to change the subject, but I will. I wanted to say the _ARCHANGEL_ acquitted herself quite well out there today. I'm more than impressed to say the least. My compliments to your crew. As far as the upgrades to the Outpost goes all I can say is _very niiiiiiiiiiice_. The work you have done here is quite admirable. In fact, I think you may have even redeemed yourself in the eyes of the Star Corps." The final tease had the desired effect as O'Camp finally did turn around in his chair to face Jarrad, if only to affix him with a dirty look. O'Camp raised a hand to point a finger at Jarrad and opened his mouth to say something with an annoyed look on his face. He never got started. The door chime sounded again. This time it was Hersh who dropped himself onto the couch and kicked his legs up onto it and semi-reclined. Knowing that Hersh loved to trade _one-liners_ no matter his mood, Jarrad smiled and started to say something but O'Camp held up a cautionary hand. Hersh's body language said it all: arms folded, legs crossed, expression pinched with his lips thinned and eyes narrowed to the point where there was literally a dark cloud hanging over his face. O'Camp asked lightly yet straightforward,

"Let me guess, you just got done transmitting a message to Oaks' family?"

"What was your _first_ clue! I felt it was my duty since I _saw_ her get killed." Hersh retorted sarcastically while barely even moving his lips. Jarrad finally spoke,

"I was just telling Brian that I'm really impressed by the work that you guys have put into the Outpost. Your crew kept the invaders contained admirably and the upgrades prevented the situation from being any worse. I don't know about you two but I'm a little worn out from all the excitement." O'Camp and Hersh gave each other a knowing look and shared a small smile before they shrugged and looked at Jarrad. Jarrad then laughed,

"Ah that's right, the Nortanian constitution. You'll probably want to check with Damage Control to see how you can help out before your shift is over, right?" Hersh looked over at him and responded tightly,

"Well that _is _why I came aboard. I understand that the secondary EPS converter needs to be realigned. I recall there being something wrong with the same aboard the _SHROUD_, could it be a problem with the design setup?" O'Camp picked up a PADD and read,

"Here is what the _preliminary report_ from Commander Ses says. "_With the new shielding system, the part of the energy that is taken by the shields and not redirected back out into space or absorbed by the heat sinks is vented into the ship's batteries by a series of conditioning elements. With the new drive system running at 170 efficiency, the additional feed tripped the manifold converter and thereby caused the overload_." Which makes complete sense to me." Turning to face Hersh as he nodded in agreement with O'Camp, Jarrad asked,

"Speaking of Engineers, where is McCollin?"

"In the Clinic, resting comfortably. He got a rather heavy dose of the anti-intruder scattering field during the assault. Besides he was also very exhausted after all that fighting since he hasn't had a chance to use his Lightsaber in quite some time. Your wife acquitted herself quite nicely with some pretty spectacular acrobatics." The three fell silent for several minutes until Jarrad yawned,

"Well I'm pretty wiped out so I'm going to grab some shuteye." He tapped some buttons on his Datalink and vanished. After a few more minutes of silence, O'Camp began softly singing one of the songs from the previous day's opera. He stopped after the first verse and chorus and began to hum from there. Hersh picked up where his Commanding Officer left off. While Hersh continued to sing, O'Camp continued to hum and even began to wave his hands as though they were Conductor's Batons. Feeling innovative, Hersh raised his voice to as high a pitch as it would go and then went as low as he could. This caused O'Camp to laugh in spite of his somber mood and he commented,

"Would you knock that off? I'm _trying_ to be depressed here!" This comment struck Hersh so odd that he forgot his own dark mood and let one of his own throaty chuckles slip. O'Camp stood and peered through his window at a slightly different angle. When he noticed Hersh staring at him with a mildly curious look, O'Camp invited him to come over and look at what he was seeing. Hersh saw the _LARRGN-Z_ at the next dock. A group of work pods were swarming around the starboard nacelle area. The damaged nacelle had already been removed and a Nortanian nacelle was being placed in its position. It looked odd, since the Nortanian version was 2/3 as long, 1/2 the height, and 1/3 the width. Hersh noted there was also some sort of adapter-cap on the front which had feeder-lines running from it to taps which attached to the Nacelle at the locations where he knew the field coils to be. Hersh intoned,

"Crude but effective I guess. Why don't they obtain one of the standardized models from _ASLAN SHIPYARDS_ now that we are producing the non-capital warships? Or did I just answer my own question since Nortania only contracted for the lighter versions the paperwork could get messy?"

"Sort of. The contract is limited by how many units they can produce and all production models are currently assigned. Besides, on one of those PADDs is a report from AEC written by Pr'gn which states that its easier to '_adapt a Nortanian engine than it is to reverse-engineer an uprated Alliance one due to the changed specification flexibility_'." O'Camp rolled his eyes and Hersh laughed. O'Camp then said,

"Actually what I was referring to is the debris field from the battle. Three Übralz-class '_Fathership_' Cruisers each with two accompanying Übralz-class Scouts means that there is a little over 1,000,000 metric tons of wreckage and raw material floating out there." Hersh nodded and commented,

"What a waste—although its not like they gave us much choice in the matter."

"This is true, Toné. Doesn't change the fact that it is still an unfortunate situation."

"Agreed, Brian. Although I hear tell from some of your Nortanian crew that they were impressed by a highly innovative Tactical maneuver '_fake-out_' you pulled on a Fathership."

"Then I guess you're not the only one that our hosts are going to be issuing an honorary citation for. I understand a couple Mystic Warriors got outflanked and, since energy weapons weren't working, you broke out your private collection of antiques and went on a spree."

"You make me sound like one of those _super hotshots_ from the 20th-century holovids that we watch…although I was teased by the Strikers for some of my non-standard antics." Hersh chuckled humorlessly. O'Camp glanced at his Datalink and sighed,

"Well I go off-duty in 45 minutes so I should probably check in with Ops. Besides, I'm sure you are anxious to check out the _ARCHANGEL_ on your way to help the repair teams." Hersh nodded and smiled enthusiastically. The adopted Nortanian escorted his CO to the dock access where they parted company.

* * *

_Station Log, OUTPOST NORTANIA Stardate: 52219.6; With all the devastation that has occurred, it remarkably only took a matter of hours to clean up or fix and everything is back to normal…well as normal as a war zone can be. Jarrad and McCollin have decided to cut their respective vacations short since the __LARRGN-Z's repairs will have her limited to warp 6.5 on the trip to Drakmär IV and the Primus wishes to have them return within the next few days for a debriefing. The new Primus definitely has an unique leadership style. Larrgn-Z is quite different wearing the crown than he was a uniform. Not that I'm complaining—far be it from me—but I just have a healthy curiosity to see where his interests lay. He's already changed the way operations are run in many ways and I have this feeling that the Outpost getting attacked will be the catalyst for more changes. I'm still curious how the Jerichans were able to use an encrypted tracking signal to fool our sensors. Unless, of course, it was another action initiated by our elusive traitor. I have this funny feeling that I was allowed to be promoted so that if I got too close again that my next disciplinary action I wouldn't be able to recover from? I don't know, must just be the old spy in me._

"Well, have a good trip home Chief. I'm glad you enjoyed your visit, you should come by more often. You're always welcome." O'Camp said as Jarrad shook his extended hand. Jarrad winked at Hersh and replied,

"Only if _Mister Supercop_ here can get his father to let me use his quarters again." They all shared a laugh and then paused as a group of med-techs approached with a transport bed. McCollin lay on it with several treatment packs attached to the midsection's hood which monitored his condition and regulated it appropriately. The Engineer was more than a little groggy and didn't respond much when the two Outpost officers wished him well. They made small talk for a few minutes until the nurses said they needed to get him hooked up to the _LARRGN-Z_'s Sickbay so the bed could get back where it belonged. Jarrad commented,

"It must have been awful down there." Hersh nodded,

"Their position was in the process of being overrun when we arrived. When we all finally beat the attackers back, he collapsed from the exhaustion and his arms began shaking uncontrollably from the exertion." Jarrad frowned,

"Yes, I know. My wife was so shaken up by everything that she cried almost all night long. I went to hug her and startled her so bad she nearly flung me all the way across the suite." That revelation brought on another round of laughter. To change the subject Jarrad queried O'Camp,

"So, umm…Have you any plans for the _ARCHANGEL_?"

"I plan to use her to destroy the Jerichan blockade of the Outer Colonies."

"That's an ambitious plan. If the situation weren't so desperate with our allies out there, I'd suggest waiting another year until the Flagship is completed. As it is, I was planning on using the Angry Angels as a Covert-Ops Strike Team like I have been when Jerichans establish footholds on member territories." O'Camp shook his head and opened his mouth to reply when Hersh beat him to it,

"Wouldn't be practical in this case. It was only effective since they were in position to perform a series of rapid strikes. With this situation, they wouldn't have near the operational flexibility they'd need."

"Fair enough. I promised Vine and Tunn that I'd never leave them without options again if they didn't feel that we'd be able to give them adequate support." Jarrad replied. O'Camp commented,

"Losing over half a Company's contingent due to a tactical misjudgment can really frustrate a Striker. It was just the combination of bad intel compounded by poor inter-agency communication that was at fault in that situation, not Star Corps Command." Jarrad nodded and shrugged his shoulders as he said,

"Yes but since one of the agencies involved comes under _my_ Command, I still bear some accountability as far as the Council of Elders is concerned…welcome to the Grand Admiralty, that bit of trivia is now a _fact of life_ for you as well—prepare to be subpoenaed to justify your every Command decision. On the subject of mission support, did you want me to set up a Battlegroup to assist with your mission?" O'Camp thought for minute then shook his head,

"The thought is appreciated but that would take time and would likely be noticed. I'd rather work with the Armada on this one anyway." Jarrad nodded and took his leave as Captain Gartiér walked by and extended her greetings. As he walked away, Jarrad made an offhand comment to O'Camp suggesting that he may have a special assignment for his Vice-Commandant in the near future. As Jarrad left the observation deck, O'Camp turned to his First Officer and commented as they began walking toward the turbolift,

"Which means that you will soon have your own Command again." Hersh shrugged,

"Just chalk it up as one more in my list of opportunities."

"Still considering that Ambassadorship position?"

"Not really. I never gave it serious thought since it would take me farther away from my wife and kids. One plum assignment I've been offered that will bring me close to them is that of Special Adviser to Assistant Chief of Security Operations Starfleet HQ. Besides, Prince Torus is Nortanian and thereby the rightful Heir to the Throne even though I'm older."

"I know the ACSOSH, she was an instructor of mine during a conference. She's a nice lady if a bit demanding. To be honest, I was wondering how you were going to reconcile your heritage with Nortanian tradition since the King will be stepping down in about 2-3 years depending on when the prince completes his duty to the Militia."

"Speaking of duty, I hear tell that you were seen keeping the company of the lovely Lieutenant Templeton yesterday evening after you got _off_-duty." O'Camp followed Hersh out of the lift as they reached C&C. The statement was just begging for a reply given Hersh's expression, so O'Camp decided to have a little fun.

"Well we have become quite friendly since she became part of the exchange program. Ramoth and I will never be anything more than good friends but Yve is a very special woman. Hrmmmmmm……… I wonder? How does this sound? Yve O'Camp—kind of has a nice ring to it don't you think!"

"_Ring_ being the key word!" Hersh laughed. CARIN announced O'Camp's presence and Hersh intoned that he was off in 5 minutes and was planning on bugging out early unless O'Camp had anything else he wanted to cover. O'Camp announced to CARIN that he was relieving Hersh as Duty Officer for the record and Hersh departed. O'Camp watched the scanner as the _LARRGN-Z_ went into Warp on its return trip to Drakmär IV. He then refocused the scanner to a view of the _ARCHANGEL_. The image was a little hazy due to the unique nature of her hull which was a naturally slightly out of phase-sync biological sheath and expanded when damaged as a repair facilitator. He stared with pride at his new ship for a few minutes until the shift change completed. Templeton entered and handed him the PADD listing all the scheduled arrivals and departures and related business transactions involving them. He smiled warmly in response as a tingling sensation ran down his back when their hands touched briefly in the exchange. Before turning to enter his office, O'Camp announced,

"Begin day watch."

NOTES: This is the last full story I wrote. I wanted one story featuring O'Camp realizing his dream of Commanding Nortania and the _ARCHANGEL_. I also wanted to have the plot device of him getting the girl. This story was also my way of saying goodbye to Zach. I also changed some of the characterizations from my notes but kept the scenes. As mentioned in The Reckoning, I have a couple 'filler' stories as well as one more full-length one which is mostly notes. I may eventually post these if enough interest is shown (please read and review).


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